The Trump administration is focusing on state-level AI regulation. The president stated in a social media post this week that the industry requires one federal standard instead of a patchwork of fifty state regulatory regimes.
This follows an earlier effort where a ten-year ban on state AI regulation was initially part of a major bill, but it was later removed by the Senate in a near-unanimous vote. The concept then reportedly evolved into a drafted executive order. This order would create an AI Litigation Task Force with the mission to challenge state AI laws through lawsuits. The administration also considered threatening states with contested AI laws by withholding federal broadband funding.
According to new reports, that executive order has now been put on hold. If it were to be signed, the order would likely face significant opposition, including from Republicans who had previously criticized the proposed moratorium on state regulation.
AI regulation remains a controversial topic in Silicon Valley. Some industry figures, particularly those aligned with the Trump administration, have criticized companies like Anthropic for supporting AI safety bills, including California’s recently signed legislation.