Executive Order 13859 — Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence
United States · Exec. Order No. 13859, 84 Fed. Reg. 3967 (Feb. 14, 2019)
President Trump's February 2019 executive order launched the 'American AI Initiative' — the first federal whole-of-government AI strategy. It directed federal agencies to prioritize AI R&D investment, open government data for AI training, set technical standards (via NIST), and develop the AI workforce. The framework was preserved but reorganized under EO 13960 (2020) and EO 14110 (2023), then carried over into EO 14179 (2025).
Technical detail
EO 13859 (Feb. 11, 2019), 84 Fed. Reg. 3967 — established the American AI Initiative; directed federal agencies under OMB/OSTP coordination to (1) prioritize AI R&D spending, (2) release federal data, models, and computing resources to AI researchers, (3) task NIST with developing AI technical standards (which became NIST AI RMF 1.0), and (4) develop AI workforce competencies (precursor to AI in Government Act and OPM occupational series). Largely superseded by subsequent orders but never formally revoked — many derivative programs (NIST AI RMF, federal AI use case inventories) trace directly to this order.
Who is protected: Federal AI ecosystem participants; public via downstream NIST/OMB rules
Who must comply: All federal executive-branch agencies (was)
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | United States |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Status | Repealed / replaced |
| Protection strength | Unknown |
| Effective date | 2019-02-11 |
| Enacted | 2019-02-11 |
| Citation | Exec. Order No. 13859, 84 Fed. Reg. 3967 (Feb. 14, 2019) |
| Enforced by | Office of Science and Technology Policy + OMB (coordination) |
| Private right of action | No — agency enforcement only |
| Topics | government use of AI · AI disclosure and transparency |
| Last verified | 2026-06-17 |
| Official source | EO 13859 — Federal Register ↗ |
More AI rules in United States
- Trump AI Innovation & Security EO (June 2026) · In effect
- FERC order directing PJM and other grid operators to reform · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Chatrie v. United States (Fourth Amendment protection for lo · Blocked / in litigation
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- NAIC AI Evaluation Tool Pilot (12 states, 2026) · Proposed / pending
- FTC Proposed Policy Statement — AI Accuracy (July 2026) · Proposed / pending
Related government use of AI rules elsewhere
- CA EO N-6-26 (AI Workforce) · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Arkansas public entity AI/ADS policy mandate (Act 848, 2025) · In effect
- One-year moratorium on data center development (Inver Grove Heights MN) · In effect
- San Marcos citywide data center ban (Land Use Matrix amendme · In effect
- Washington County (MD) 12-month data center moratorium · Enacted (not yet in effect)
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