READ: Kelly Posts Piece on Trump Folding to Big Tech on AI

"America cannot lead in AI if our policy is determined by whichever billionaire gets the President on the phone last."

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly published a piece on Substack responding to President Trump's decision to walk away from his own AI executive order after pressure from powerful tech executives.

Kelly-who last year released his AI for America roadmap to make sure AI benefits all Americans, not just big tech companies-argues that if we want America to lead in innovation, we need serious leadership.

Click here to read the full piece. See key excerpts below:

On Trump caving to big tech…

"From what has been reported, it would have created a voluntary process for government agencies to evaluate some frontier AI systems for risks and vulnerabilities before public release. I don't think that goes nearly far enough for a technology changing this rapidly, but even that modest step was apparently too much once a few powerful tech executives pushed back.

"That should bother everyone."

On what serious leadership on AI actually looks like…

"I have spent a lot of my life around advanced technology. In the Navy, at NASA, and now in the Senate, one thing is clear: when the stakes are high, you do not just hope everything works out. You test. You plan. You ask hard questions. You build safeguards. That is not anti-innovation. That is how serious people handle serious systems and innovate responsibly.

"AI is going to shape the future of work, our energy grid, cybersecurity, and our competition with China. Getting this right matters for families in Arizona and across the country.

"We should want American companies to lead the world. But we don't do that by prioritizing short-term company profits above all else. We need to make sure AI tools are deployed safely and responsibly.

"The President had a chance to show that he understands that. Instead, when powerful billionaires got him on the phone, he backed down."