America is leading the world in artificial intelligence (AI). The Trump Administration intends to keep it that way.
President Trump signed an executive order this month on Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security, recognizing a fundamental reality: leadership in artificial intelligence is leadership in national security.
The president’s order comes amid increased attention regarding the pace and scale of AI-enabled cyberattacks and vulnerability detection. The administration is working with leading AI labs to stagger the rollout of their most powerful new models, giving a select group of public- and private-sector cybersecurity experts early access to tools that can uncover software vulnerabilities at a pace beyond that of human researchers. But key questions—including which companies and sectors should get this early access—are still getting worked out.
The executive order aims to bring a clear strategic vision to this emerging national security challenge. Advanced AI capabilities give the United States a powerful new tool to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen defenses, and stay ahead of emerging threats. As American AI labs lap their foreign competitors in the race to develop increasingly intelligent models, hostile governments and cybercriminals will eagerly look for ways to use our own advanced technologies against us. We’ve known for years that Iranian, North Korean, and Chinese hackers use American-developed AI tools in their offensive cyber operations. Our best defense is to use these increasingly powerful technologies to find and fix our weaknesses before our adversaries can strike.
That is precisely why President Trump’s executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to facilitate access to advanced cybersecurity tools and services for critical infrastructure operators. The order points to rural hospitals, community banks, and local utilities as examples of institutions that will need access to advanced tools to strengthen their cybersecurity and improve resilience. CISA should build out this list further to include water systems, gas pipelines, telecommunications networks, and other key sectors.
This approach recognizes a simple truth: the companies and institutions most responsible for providing essential services should have access to the most advanced defensive capabilities available.
That is particularly true for sectors that represent systemic risk. For example, communications providers operating broadband networks are not just commercial services; they are enabling infrastructure for electric and water utilities, government agencies, hospitals, banks, transit systems, emergency services, and military installations. Cyberattacks targeting these sectors pose unique risks to our economic health, public safety, and national security. The administration’s response must prioritize them accordingly.
Facilitating infrastructure operators’ access to advanced tools is an important first step. But the administration’s ultimate goal should be to ensure that qualified critical infrastructure operators can receive early access to frontier AI capabilities before broad public release. The age of AI is likely to play out as an ongoing race between defenders working to patch cyber vulnerabilities and malicious actors racing to exploit them. Giving the defenders a head start will go a long way toward reducing the risk of serious failures.
The public debate leading up to President Trump’s executive order highlighted the tension between encouraging rapid AI innovation and thoughtfully preparing for the disruptions and risks that frontier AI models will present. In implementing President Trump’s order, agencies will need to get this balance right. Maintaining American leadership at the frontier of AI progress is non-negotiable. But smart safeguards—including early access for critical infrastructure providers—will help America’s most important institutions stay ahead of the evolving risks that inevitably accompany periods of dramatic technological change.
President Trump has recognized that artificial intelligence is an opportunity to secure America’s strategic advantage over our rivals and adversaries. But that advantage will endure only if the systems Americans rely on every day are prepared for the threats this new era will bring. Ensuring that critical infrastructure operators have the tools needed to defend their networks is the next logical step in turning today’s AI leadership into tomorrow’s lasting national strength.
Chad F. Wolf served as acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during President Trump’s first term.