Trump and the Future of Tech: Challenges and Opportunities
Everyone has been wondering about Trump and the future of tech since Elon Musk supported him. So, will science and technology be affected by Trump’s presidency? His presidency will most likely uniquely impact artificial intelligence, science, social media, tech talent, and more. Also, the shifts in funding priorities can have a huge effect on the future of tech.
Under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may have a very different tech industry in four years, but what will these changes be? Will Trump’s presidency have positive or negative impacts? In this article, we will try to answer these questions and make sense of Trump’s plan for technology and his views on science policy, AI, and more.
Funding Shifts in Tech
Trump has expressed that he prefers traditional infrastructure to green and renewable energy. As a result, shifts in funding in certain areas could lead to significant changes in the tech industry. For instance, we can expect more funding for cybersecurity and military tech. Moreover, Trump has expressed his interest in space exploration technology, so the satellite and aerospace industries could benefit from more funding.
On the other hand, clean energy initiatives and companies making renewable and green energy solutions will most likely get less support than before. Before the election, Donald Trump called the green energy transition a scam: “I will immediately terminate the green new scam. That will be such an honor. The greatest scam in the history of any country.”
Trump’s AI Policy
So the big question is, what Donald Trump’s win means for AI? For now, Trump’s AI agenda is not completely clear, but in the past, Trump emphasized the importance of American leadership in AI development and innovation. However, Biden tried to control AI in his own way through his executive order to ensure safety and security, advance equity and civil rights, and more.
With that said, during one of his speeches, Trump criticized Biden for weaponizing artificial intelligence to target American citizens for political speech: “When I’m re-elected, I will cancel Biden’s artificial intelligence executive order and ban the use of AI to censor the speech of American citizens on day one.”
After the cancelation of Biden’s executive order, Trump can shift away the emphasis from the regulatory environment to more freedom for tech companies to regulate their own products and place their own safety measures. Of course, this approach can raise the dangers of AI related to security risks and data privacy, but overall, it appears that Trump’s presidency and potential collaborations between the government and private tech companies will be a positive shift for AI innovation and federal funding, especially if we take note of Trump’s competitiveness with other countries such as China.
Deregulation and Removing Constraints
Trump and the future of tech or other industries rely heavily on deregulation and getting rid of limiting and slow improvement processes in various stages of development. This can lead to accelerated tech development and innovation in various areas such as cybersecurity, data science, vehicles, healthcare, and more. So, a more open environment for innovation and cutting-edge products can boost productivity and make the whole tech industry more dynamic and efficient.
Also, the high compliance costs usually stop small start-ups from getting to the point of profit-making before running out of budget. So, deregulation can lower the barrier of entry for small tech teams and provide them with a chance to compete with tech giants.
Competition with China
During Trump’s first administration, the rivalry between the United States and China became more heated than ever, and Trump tried to target Chinese technology firms and limit their presence in the US market. Now that Trump will be back at the White House, it’s expected that the same agenda will be back to incentivize domestic production and manufacturing in the US and stop the tech industry from relying heavily on China.
With more focus on tariffs and bans on Chinese companies, the costs of manufacturing different parts can increase, but on the other hand, tax breaks for the U.S. supply chains can boost domestic manufacturing. Moreover, national security issues and China’s technological advancements remain a big concern for Trump. So, separating some of the sensitive industries, such as telecommunications and AI, from any Chinese influence will be a focus moving forward.
Social Media Impact
Trump has an interesting history with social media platforms, he was permanently suspended from X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2021. Now, his stance on social media is quite clear because he has been very vocal about the importance of free speech and bias against conservatives on platforms like Facebook and Google.
So, a second Trump term can force tech giants such as Meta and Google to be accountable for their content moderation policies and user privacy practices. As a result, these big companies may be required to provide more transparency about how their algorithms work. Furthermore, this can result in the rise of smaller companies and social media platforms with much clearer policies and less moderation.
Our Final Thoughts On Trump and The Future of Technology
Overall, Trump’s return to office will greatly impact the tech industry, as his plans and beliefs are very different from Biden’s. The biggest focus will be removing barriers and unnecessary regulations to create a less restricted environment for tech companies. However, his competitiveness with China and imposing tariffs on foreign goods can result in higher costs for electronics. For now, discussions about Trump and the future of tech suggest a combination of both positive and negative impacts on the industry.