OMB Memorandum M-25-21, Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust

Summary

OMB memorandum of April 3, 2025, to the heads of executive departments and agencies, including independent regulatory agencies, on federal use of AI. It rescinds and replaces M-24-10. Agencies must name a Chief AI Officer, apply minimum risk-management practices to 'high-impact AI' (and stop using it if risks cannot be mitigated), keep annual AI use-case inventories, and within 180 days publish a compliance plan (or a determination that they do not use covered AI), repeated every two years until 2036. CFO Act agencies must also publish an AI strategy within 180 days. A companion memo, M-25-22, covers AI acquisition.

Key dates

1. April 3, 2025Takes effect
2. April 3, 2025Issued
3. October 16, 2026Checked against sources
4. October 21, 2026Checked against sources

Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: January 15, 2027.

Evidence

Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.

1. April 3, 2025 M-25-21

   Supports: Date and number

   This memorandum rescinds and replaces Office of Management and Budget (0MB) Memorandum M-24-10

   Supports: Replaces M-24-10

   agencies are directed to implement minimum risk management practices for AI that could have significant impacts when deployed ("high-impact AI")

   Supports: High-impact AI risk practices

   each agency must submit to 0MB and post publicly on the agency's website either a plan to achieve consistency with this memorandum

   Supports: Compliance plans

   Within 180 days of the issuance of this memorandum, each CFO Act agency must develop an AI Strategy

   Supports: AI strategies

   M-25-21 Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget Primary source

2. M-25-21 Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust (April 03, 2025)

   Supports: Still listed among OMB memoranda (current status)

   M-26-04 Increasing Public Trust in Artificial Intelligence Through Unbiased AI Principles (December 11, 2025)

   Supports: Related later memorandum

   Memoranda Office of Management and Budget Primary source