Exporting American AI: A Strategic Leap or a Risky Sprint?
By Dr. Vivian Atud
Senior Policy Analyst | Founder, American Transformation Forum
Introduction: A Bold Vision for the Future
As someone who has spent over two decades studying and advising on transformation policy, I read the July 2025 Executive Order on Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack with both excitement and a healthy degree of caution.
The order—issued by the President on July 23, 2025—signals a powerful pivot in U.S. international strategy: moving from merely developing advanced AI technologies to actively exporting them as fully packaged stacks to friendly nations. It speaks of an “AI Exports Program” that promotes not just chips and code, but entire ecosystems: hardware, frontier models, software, governance standards—even use-case frameworks.
In theory, this is nothing short of historic. But in practice, it raises a series of questions and responsibilities that Congress, the Senate, and civil society must take seriously.
Why This Executive Order Matters
1. The U.S. Is Exporting Influence, Not Just Technology
This is not about selling servers or licensing software. The AI stack includes models, algorithms, training data pipelines, and policy norms. The U.S. is essentially offering a turnkey digital infrastructure to allies—embedding American values, privacy frameworks, and computational priorities into other nations’ public and private systems.
📌 This is geopolitics in code.
“The United States must ensure that the world’s AI future is built with trusted tools from free nations—not opaque systems controlled by authoritarian states.”
—White House Briefing, July 2025 [WhiteHouse.gov]
Strengths of the Executive Action
1. Whole-of-Government Approach
The order mandates cooperation among Commerce, State, the Export-Import Bank, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), giving a serious institutional backbone to the program. It aligns with the AI infrastructure permitting orders (July 2025) and the controversial “No Woke AI” directive, consolidating the U.S. AI strategy around both capacity and ideological clarity.
2. Public–Private Export Incentives
Companies that offer “priority AI packages” gain access to federal grants, export support, tax credits, and matchmaking with foreign customers. This is a win for innovation-driven exports.
“For American firms, this opens the door to not only grow their markets but shape global standards.”
—Atlantic Council, July 2025 [AtlanticCouncil.org]
3. Norm-Shaping Power
By encouraging allied nations to adopt U.S.-style governance models, transparency protocols, and AI testing standards, America isn’t just exporting tech—it’s setting the rules of global engagement.
The Human Concerns: Ethics, Trust & Global Harmony
As a mother, mentor, and long-time policy analyst, I always ask: What does this mean for ordinary people?
1. Ethics and Values Confusion
The administration has stripped federal AI standards of references to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), climate, and misinformation detection. While this “values-light” approach may simplify exports, it risks global blowback. Allies in the EU and Canada may resist systems they see as lacking ethical rigor.
2. Transparency and Oversight Gaps
Who decides what counts as a “priority package”? What happens when sensitive frontier models are bundled into civilian exports and misused?
“There is no substitute for congressional oversight when national security and technological dominance are at stake.”
—AI Now Institute, Policy Alert, August 2025
Strategic Risks
1. Dual-Use Concerns
The same AI systems used for supply chain optimization can be adapted for surveillance or misinformation at scale. Without robust KYC (Know-Your-Customer) mechanisms, the U.S. risks exporting tools of oppression to fragile democracies.
See: Allen, G. et al. (2024). Frontier Models and National Security, CNAS. [cnas.org]
2. Enforcement Lags and Loopholes
Recent reports from Reuters and The New York Post show that U.S.-made Nvidia AI chips are still entering China despite strict export bans. If enforcement agencies can’t block black-market shipments, how will they monitor entire AI stacks abroad?
Policy Recommendations to Congress and Senate
🔎 1. Mandate Export Transparency
Congress should pass a law requiring quarterly public reports on:
-
Which AI stacks are exported,
-
To which countries, and
-
For what applications.
🛡️ 2. Enforce Ethical Guardrails
Condition federal support on companies implementing:
-
Transparency protocols,
-
Fairness testing tools (e.g., Model Cards, Datasheets),
-
Auditable data governance practices.
Inspired by: Gebru et al., 2020. Datasheets for Datasets. [arxiv.org]
📊 3. Fund an Independent AI Export Observatory
An inter-university research consortium should be funded to monitor:
-
Social impact of exported AI systems,
-
Alignment with democratic values,
-
Cases of misuse or re-export.
🌍 4. Propose a Global AI Export Treaty
Just like the Wassenaar Arrangement governs dual-use tech exports, the U.S. should lead efforts to launch a multilateral treaty on AI stack exports—starting with G7 partners.
Conclusion: Transforming the World Through Responsible AI
This Executive Order could help America write the “constitution” of global AI governance. But let us remember: the technology we export today shapes the freedoms or surveillance of tomorrow.
We need bold action—but also wise stewardship. Congress and the Senate must not simply applaud the intent—they must refine the mechanisms, clarify the values, and ensure the AI exported in America’s name stands up to America’s ideals.
Written by Dr. Vivian Atud
Founder, Global & American Transformation Forums
Senior Policy & Innovation Consultant
📩 To request speaking engagements or join our policy roundtables, contact: info@globaltransformforum.com
Check out the GTF Research
Check out events
Connect with us on facebook
connect with us on linkedIn
Check out the American Transformation forum
