Google, following on the heels of OpenAI, printed a coverage proposal in response to the Trump administration’s name for a nationwide “AI Motion Plan.” The tech big endorsed weak copyright restrictions on AI coaching, in addition to “balanced” export controls that “shield nationwide safety whereas enabling U.S. exports and world enterprise operations.”
“The U.S. must pursue an energetic worldwide financial coverage to advocate for American values and assist AI innovation internationally,” Google wrote within the doc. “For too lengthy, AI policymaking has paid disproportionate consideration to the dangers, usually ignoring the prices that misguided regulation can have on innovation, nationwide competitiveness, and scientific management — a dynamic that’s starting to shift beneath the brand new Administration.”
Considered one of Google’s extra controversial suggestions pertains to the usage of IP-protected materials.
Google argues that “honest use and text-and-data mining exceptions” are “crucial” to AI improvement and AI-related scientific innovation. Like OpenAI, the corporate seeks to codify the fitting for it and rivals to coach on publicly out there knowledge — together with copyrighted knowledge — largely with out restriction.
“These exceptions permit for the usage of copyrighted, publicly out there materials for AI coaching with out considerably impacting rightsholders,” Google wrote, “and keep away from usually extremely unpredictable, imbalanced, and prolonged negotiations with knowledge holders throughout mannequin improvement or scientific experimentation.”
Google, which has reportedly skilled various fashions on public, copyrighted knowledge, is battling lawsuits with knowledge homeowners who accuse the corporate of failing to inform and compensate them earlier than doing so. U.S. courts have but to determine whether or not honest use doctrine successfully shields AI builders from IP litigation.
In its AI coverage proposal, Google additionally takes concern with sure export controls imposed beneath the Biden administration, which it says “could undermine financial competitiveness targets” by “imposing disproportionate burdens on U.S. cloud service suppliers.” That contrasts with statements from Google rivals like Microsoft, which in January stated that it was “assured” it may “comply absolutely” with the foundations.
Importantly, the export guidelines, which search to restrict the supply of superior AI chips in disfavored nations, carve out exemptions for trusted companies in search of massive clusters of chips.
Elsewhere in its proposal, Google requires “long-term, sustained” investments in foundational home R&D, pushing again towards current federal efforts to scale back spending and remove grant awards. The corporate stated the federal government ought to launch datasets that may be useful for business AI coaching, and allocate funding to “early-market R&D” whereas guaranteeing computing and fashions are “broadly out there” to scientists and establishments.
Pointing to the chaotic regulatory surroundings created by the U.S.’ patchwork of state AI legal guidelines, Google urged the federal government to go federal laws on AI, together with a complete privateness and safety framework. Simply over two months into 2025, the variety of pending AI payments within the U.S. has grown to 781, based on a web-based monitoring device.
Google cautions the U.S. authorities towards imposing what it perceives to be onerous obligations round AI techniques, like utilization legal responsibility obligations. In lots of instances, Google argues, the developer of a mannequin “has little to no visibility or management” over how a mannequin is getting used and thus shouldn’t bear duty for misuse.
Traditionally, Google has opposed legal guidelines like California’s defeated SB 1047, which clearly laid out what would represent precautions an AI developer ought to take earlier than releasing a mannequin and by which instances builders may be held accountable for model-induced harms.
“Even in instances the place a developer gives a mannequin on to deployers, deployers will usually be finest positioned to grasp the dangers of downstream makes use of, implement efficient threat administration, and conduct post-market monitoring and logging,” Google wrote.
Google in its proposal additionally known as disclosure necessities like these being contemplated by the EU “overly broad,” and stated the U.S. authorities ought to oppose transparency guidelines that require “divulging commerce secrets and techniques, permit rivals to duplicate merchandise, or compromise nationwide safety by offering a roadmap to adversaries on find out how to circumvent protections or jailbreak fashions.”
A rising variety of nations and states have handed legal guidelines requiring AI builders to disclose extra about how their techniques work. California’s AB 2013 mandates that firms creating AI techniques publish a high-level abstract of the datasets that they used to coach their techniques. Within the EU, to adjust to the AI Act as soon as it comes into drive, firms should provide mannequin deployers with detailed directions on the operation, limitations, and dangers related to the mannequin.