Trump signs executive order to ban ‘woke’ AI from federal contracts

The US President Donald Trump has issued a sweeping executive order aimed at preventing federal agencies from working with artificial intelligence (AI) providers whose models display what he calls “ideological bias.”

The directive, signed during an AI summit in Washington, requires AI companies contracting with the US government to eliminate what Trump described as “woke Marxist lunacy” from their systems.

The executive order prohibits federal agencies from using AI models that reflect concepts such as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), critical race theory, or what it refers to as “transgenderism.”

According to the Trump administration, such themes compromise objectivity and threaten the reliability of AI. “

From now on, the US government will deal only with AI that pursues truth, fairness, and strict impartiality,” Trump said during his speech.

In line with this order, the administration also plans to overhaul existing Biden-era federal AI safety guidelines, removing references to DEI, climate change, and misinformation from official frameworks.

That said, critics within the tech industry have expressed alarm. Neil Sahota, a UN AI advisor, noted that this move might compel companies to create less restricted “anti-woke” chatbot versions to secure government contracts.

“This is a major concern for the industry already facing global AI competition,” he said.

However, experts argue that claims of AI models promoting liberal bias are often exaggerated. 

Chinasa Okolo, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, emphasised that perceived bias usually stems from how queries are framed rather than intentional design choices.