Speculation swirled Friday over the last-minute collapse of President Donald Trump's planned executive order on powerful AI models, with fingers pointing at the president's allies in Silicon Valley who oppose government oversight of the technology.

US President Donald Trump to sign an AI oversight order amid rising security concerns from supporters and tech industry debates.

Trump said he delayed the order because parts of the proposal risked slowing the U.S. AI industry as competition with China intensifies.

White House pauses AI order amid debate over innovation, security and competition

Trump's AI executive order was killed after direct lobbying from Musk, Zuckerberg, and Sacks, raising fresh questions about who actually shapes US AI policy.