EO 13960 (federal AI use)
Executive Order 13960 — Promoting the Use of Trustworthy AI in the Federal Government
United States · Exec. Order No. 13960, 85 Fed. Reg. 78939 (Dec. 8, 2020)
- Status
- Repealed / replaced
- Took effect
- December 3, 2020
- Applies to
- All federal executive-branch agencies (was)
- Enforced by
- Office of Management and Budget
President Trump's December 2020 executive order set nine principles for federal agency AI use (lawful, accurate, safe, understandable, accountable, etc.) and required each agency to publish an annual public inventory of its AI use cases. The annual AI use case inventories continued under EO 14110 (Biden) and EO 14179 (Trump-II) — making EO 13960 the foundational federal-AI-transparency baseline.
Who is protected: Public interacting with federal-agency AI
Legal detail
EO 13960 (Dec. 3, 2020), 85 Fed. Reg. 78939 — established nine principles for federal AI use; required CFO Act agencies to (1) inventory non-classified AI use cases, (2) post inventories publicly, (3) share inventories with other agencies, and (4) review existing uses for principle compliance. Implementation guidance was issued by OMB. Largely superseded by EO 14110 (Oct. 30, 2023) and subsequently EO 14179 (Jan. 20, 2025), but the AI use case inventory requirement has been retained across all three orders.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | United States |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Enacted | December 3, 2020 |
| Citation | Exec. Order No. 13960, 85 Fed. Reg. 78939 (Dec. 8, 2020) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | government use of AI · AI disclosure and transparency · automated decision-making |
| Statute | EO 13960 — Federal Register |
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