The US federal government and states are at loggerheads over AI regulation. The Trump administration has signed an executive order blocking state-by-state AI policymaking, while states have taken the position that they will enforce their own AI laws.
What you should know
US President Donald Trump has come under fire after signing an executive order that bars state governments from creating their own AI policies. The Trump administration wants to create a single, common national framework for AI rather than state-by-state regulation.
The Trump administration has said that state regulations are “overly burdensome” for AI companies and that they must obtain more than 50 approvals to innovate.
They said that such an executive order is necessary to make American AI companies stronger and more powerful in competition with China. However, state governments are saying that regulation is necessary at the local level to prevent the misuse of AI.
Lawmakers from California, New York, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Texas, where Republicans have a strong influence, have also criticized the federal government’s move. California Governor Gavin Newsom has responded by saying that President Trump is bowing to the interests of AI companies. California has already passed a privacy and consumer protection law related to AI and has said that it will enforce its law despite the federal order.
New York has also passed a law to regulate the use of AI in employee hiring and surveillance. New York has said that these initiatives on AI regulation are important and will not be replaced by federal law. In Massachusetts, a bill has been introduced to regulate the use of generative AI in education and healthcare. Texas lawmakers have responded that AI should be regulated, but the central government should not be responsible for making rules alone.
There is currently no federal law on AI in the US. However, state governments there are drafting more than 1,000 AI laws, the BBC wrote, citing the White House. This year alone, 38 states, including California, adopted about 100 AI policies/regulations.
