Executive Order 14179: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence

What does Executive Order 14179 do?

The order established a policy of sustaining and enhancing US leadership in artificial intelligence. It directed White House advisers to produce an AI Action Plan within 180 days and required a review of actions taken under President Biden’s EO 14110. OMB later issued new guidance on federal AI use and procurement, and the administration published its action plan in July 2025.

Reading the operative provisions of Executive Order 14179

EO 14179 assigns a 180-day task to White House science, technology, and national-security advisers: prepare an AI Action Plan. It separately directs agencies to review actions taken under the prior administration’s EO 14110 and identify measures considered inconsistent with the new policy. Those instructions are a review and planning process. They do not erase the technical standards, contracts, or agency decisions that already existed unless a later agency action changed them.

The subsequent OMB memoranda on federal AI use and procurement are examples of implementation through administrative guidance. They address how agencies acquire or use AI systems and are distinct from the White House Action Plan. NIST standards work and agency procurement decisions likewise have their own scope and dates. The order’s broad policy of sustaining U.S. leadership does not by itself approve an AI product, authorize a high-impact automated decision, or waive privacy, civil-rights, security, or procurement requirements.

The Action Plan published in July 2025 and EO 14365’s later national-framework work are later records that build on or modify the policy landscape. For a specific use, check the agency’s governing statute, OMB guidance, contract terms, and any applicable rule. Review the cited Federal Register and White House sources for Executive Order 14179.