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National Cyber Director

U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order during the “Winning the AI Race” summit hosted by All‑In Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump signed executive orders related to his Artificial Intelligence Action Plan during the event. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

US wants to push its view of AI cybersecurity standards to the rest of the world

The Trump administration also envisions artificial intelligence playing a role in protecting federal government networks.
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President Donald Trump, left, and China’s President Xi Jinping arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, located next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025. Trump and Xi have both been publicly impassive about cyber operations in the past few months.(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

While White House demands deterrence, Trump shrugs

Trump’s dismissive remarks on cyber threats contrast sharply with his administration’s official calls for action.
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, then-CEO, Millenium Challenge Corporation, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit – Day 2 at Grand Hyatt New York on Sept. 24, in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

National cyber director says U.S. needs to counter Chinese surveillance, push American tech

Sean Cairncross, in remarks at a summit, also said the United States needs to send a stronger message that Chinese cyberattacks are unwelcome.
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