What's up: Biden's AI executive order revoked; U.S. DOGE Service replaces federal IT office; Apple’s smartphone sales slump in China; Broadcom chief says VMware deal producing results

Amid President Trump's day-one flurry of executive orders, several stand out for their potential impact on emerging technology.

AI Safety order cancelled. As expected, Trump revoked his predecessor’s 2023 executive order on artificial intelligence. The Biden executive order asked companies to tell the government when developing powerful models that could affect national security, the economy or public health. It also directed agencies to develop standards and metrics to test AI systems, the Journal's Amrith Ramkumar reports. 

What comes next is not clear, but it is likely that Trump will take a more relaxed approach to federal oversight of AI.

Powering technology. Trump's executive order on a national energy emergency included a couple lines linking more domestic energy production to keeping the U.S. at “the forefront of technological innovation.”

The order, designed to enable the federal government to slash permitting requirements for energy projects and fast-track power-plant construction, among other actions, did not specifically mention artificial intelligence by name.

But it didn't need to, its message understood by big tech firms who have been warning about the technology's ever-rising power needs. 

“Without immediate remedy, this situation will dramatically deteriorate in the near future," says the EO, "due to a high demand for energy and natural resources to power the next generation of technology.”

And then there is TikTok. Trump's executive order gives more time for TikTok to work out a deal to prevent a ban in the U.S.

More on Trump's Executive Orders

• A list of Trump’s key executive orders–so far
• Trump signs executive orders focused on the border and energy
• The U.S. needs a diversified supply of energy, but wind power need not apply. 

United States DOGE Service replaces federal IT office. An executive order signed Monday set up the structure for the Department of Government Efficiency, a government-overhaul task force helmed by Elon Musk.

The order calls on federal agencies to set up DOGE teams of at least four employees, which will include a team leader, an engineer, a human resources specialist and an attorney. Under the new structure, the United States Digital Service, which provides information technology services to federal agencies, will be renamed the United States DOGE Service with an administrator who will report to the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

Lining up. Trump’s first term started on rocky terms with tech CEOs, and relations were generally worse at the end. This time, tech’s titans have lined up to show obeisance, the Journal's Jason Dean reports. 

Among the tech heavyweights on display at Monday's inauguration were Amazon.com Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.

• The start of Trump 2.0 marks a new Frenemy Era for Big Tech.