The White House addresses the need to protect against powerful AI systems. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Some technology and policy watchers were surprised when President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 2, 2026, establishing a framework for AI security. It seemed to move in a different direction from a December 2025 executive order that sought to create a “minimally burdensome” national framework for artificial intelligence and supersede state laws the administration saw as restr