Call it the modern arms race or call it the robot apocalypse — artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, and emerging policy initiatives seek to position the U.S. as a leading constituent in its global takeover. From major buzz around the Chinese startup DeepSeek to the White House’s $500 billion investment in AI infrastructure, both national governments and private sectors across the globe are eager to secure a foothold in the AI revolution.
Technology is on the brink of a transformative era.The stakes have never been higher as innovation and regulation seem to be at odds. Limiting restrictions could strengthen the U.S. AI economy, but insufficient oversight may negatively impact areas reliant on ethical standards, such as education.
OpenAI is an American research and development company focused on AI. Founded by Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2015, it has emerged as a major player in 21st-century technology. With a value reaching $300 billion and a focus on cutting-edge production, it has garnered support from notable investors like Microsoft, Nvidia and, more recently, President Donald Trump. In January, the White House unveiled a fact sheet outlining Trump’s focus on AI industry dominance. His plan includes a $500 billion investment in AI data centers and the revocation of many regulations introduced by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Biden’s administration introduced various measures, including Executive Order 14110, the AI Risk Management Framework and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Roadmap for AI which aims to protect national security. Trump, however, asserts that these regulations stifle innovation, undermine the private sector by creating unnecessary barriers to growth and slow technological progress. One of his first acts in office was rescinding Biden’s Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion, which would have restricted U.S. exports of advanced AI chips. With the president’s ties to Silicon Valley and the U.S.’s rising competition from China’s DeepSeek, the nation is preparing for unbridled AI growth under Trump’s leadership.
Balancing AI advancement and regulation is a complex challenge at both federal and subnational levels. Deregulation may be key to bolstering the U.S. position in the AI economy, but a lack of oversight could harm sectors of the nation contingent on ethical awareness – for example, students’ learning experiences.
In September 2024, California passed Assembly Bill 2876, mandating AI literacy requirements in K-12 math, science and social studies curricula. The law covers AI’s definition, function, applications and ethical implications. Senate Bill 1288, passed that same month, mandates superintendents to form working groups to develop AI safety guidelines for schools. Their findings must be submitted to the Legislature by 2027 for policy development. The California Department of Education also released guidelines to facilitate a principled implementation of AI in education.
At UC Irvine, educators are grappling with how to responsibly integrate AI into classrooms. Stefani Rios, program coordinator at UCI’s ANTrepreneur Center, was initially hesitant about AI in education.
“Technology in general is intimidating for me,” Rios told New University.
Ryan Foland, the center’s director, has embraced AI, seeing it as an opportunity to support productivity and creativity.
“I’ve been swimming gleefully in the sea of AI to see what it’s all about,” Foland said to New University.
Converging their two perspectives, which Foland describes as “cautiously optimistic,” they both lead UCI’s AI Innovation Challenge, a hands-on experiment where students develop ideas for their own AI models.
The AI Innovation Challenge, Rios describes, is designed to equip students with skills, “both technical and soft, that will help them feel more confident navigating life. We want to give students access to all the tools. Right now, AI is one of the biggest ones.”
Foland also speaks to UCI’s “bold” and “supportive” approach on equipping students to use AI both expansively and responsibly. He said the university is “working to navigate the challenges and making sure everybody is happy and feels safe.”
One of the initiatives he cited is ZotGPT, UCI’s very own AI chatbot that ensures protection for personal and institutional data with an emphasis on ethical implementation of AI in academia.
Political Science graduate student Sweta Rijal also highlights the importance of a balanced approach to AI in the classroom. Rijal uses AI to assist students with disabilities or language barriers but cautions against its potential downsides, such as the erosion of critical thinking.
“We should approach AI with a critical and intentional mindset,” Rijal said to New University.
She advocates for ethical principles such as inclusion and bias elimination in developing AI systems for education.
While policymakers’ approaches differ on AI regulation, its immense potential is widely acknowledged from the federal government to educators. California’s legislative efforts and UCI’s “cautious optimism” reflect a balanced, thoughtful approach to AI that could serve as a model for the rest of the nation. It provides an innovative and considerate framework for integration. Such measures are crucial for ensuring that AI remains a force for good, helping students and communities adapt responsibly to the evolving technological landscape.
Casey Mendoza is an Opinion Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. He can be reached at caseym4@uci.edu.
Edited by Isabella Ehring and Bianca Marroquin