After about a week of rumours, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) officially retracted the Biden administration’s artificial intelligence spreading rules, which were set to come into effect.
The Artificial Intelligence Spreading Rules, introduced in January by former President Joe Biden and scheduled to enter into force on May 15, introduced the first restrictions on US-made AI chip exports in many countries, whilst tightening existing restrictions.
On Tuesday, Doc announced it had instructed its staff not to implement Biden-era regulations. According to a report from Bloomberg, Doc will issue exchange rules in the future, and is likely focused on direct negotiations with the country, in contrast to blanket restrictions.
Biden’s proposed rules divided the world’s countries into three layers, with each tier having its own level of limitations. Tier 1 countries like Japan and South Korea would have continued to face export restrictions, and Tier 2 regions, including countries like Mexico and Portugal, would have seen chip export restrictions for the first time. Three tier countries like China and Russia would have had to fight back against suppressed control.
Instead of the new regulations, Doc released guidance for the industry on Tuesday. It reminded businesses that using Huawei’s AI Chips anywhere in the world is in violation of US export rules, warning them of the potential consequences of using US AI chips to train AI models in China, and warning them of recommended ways to protect their chip supply chains from appropriation tactics.
“The Trump administration protects technology from the hands of our enemies while pursuing a bold and comprehensive strategy for American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world,” Jeffrey Kessler, Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, said in a statement. “At the same time, we reject the Biden administration’s attempt to impose its own fraudulent and counter-effective AI policies on the American people.”