NACo Submits Comments to the White House on Development of a National AI Action Plan

Key Takeaways

Update: On March 15, NACo submitted comments to the White House on a new artificial intelligence (AI) action plan, which will inform AI policy in the new administration. Counties support responsible public sector adoption of AI that includes appropriate guardrails and controls while exploring positive use cases. 

Read NACo's comments here

On February 6, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced its first steps towards creating an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan by seeking public comments on what priority policy action items should be implemented at the national level. Specifically, the OSTP is seeking comment from “interested public parties”, including local and tribal governments, about how national priorities on AI can be configured in the aftermath of President Trump’s rescission of a 2023 Executive Order on AI signed by former President Biden.

What are focus areas for the draft AI action plan?

According to the OSTP, responses can address any relevant AI policy topics and are “encouraged to suggest concrete AI policy actions needed to address the topics raised”. 

The administration is seeking input on the highest priority policy actions that the new Action Plan on Artificial Intelligence can take, which could include, but is not limited to, priorities related to:

• Hardware and chips
• Data centers, energy consumption and efficiency
• Model development and open-source development
• Application and use (either in the private sector or by government)
• Explainability and assurance of AI model outputs
• Cybersecurity, data privacy and security throughout the lifecycle of AI system development and deployment (to include security against AI model attacks)
• Risks, regulation and governance
• Technical and safety standards
• Research and development
• Education and workforce
• Innovation and competition
• Intellectual property
• Procurement

For a full list of instructions and guidance, you can visit the request for comments page located on the Federal Register. 

What is the background for this new initiative? 

The request for comment announcement comes in the aftermath of Executive Order 14148, signed on January 20, which calls for the establishment of a national Artificial Intelligence Action Plan within 180 days of the order’s signing. In recent weeks, the President has announced additional initiatives in the AI space, including the announcement of significant investments in AI data centers and the launch of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).  

President Trump previously signed executive orders and legislation on AI in his first presidential term, including Executive Order 13859 titled Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence and the National AI Initiative Act of 2020. On January 20 2025, the President signed Executive Order 14148, which rescinded a 2023 Executive Order on AI signed by former President Biden.

The rescission will be followed by a whole of government review on existing AI regulations issued by federal agencies to determine if such guidance documents continue to comply with President Trump’s priorities on artificial intelligence policy and guidelines. Additional updates are expected in the coming months on an agency-by-agency basis. 

What is the county impact? 

NACo supports the adoption of appropriate guardrails, standards and policies to ensure that artificial intelligence technologies continue to provide meaningful innovation while safeguarding against nefarious uses of the technology. 

NACo recently published its 2025 AI Policy Priorities Primer which outlines key priorities for counties as it pertains to the use and development of AI tools and technologies. Counties are committed to working with the new administration and Congress to advance AI policy priorities in a bipartisan manner that effectively promotes the intergovernmental partnership.