Key Points
- President Trump signed an executive order to create a single, national standard for AI regulation.
- The goal is to preempt the growing number of different AI laws being passed by individual states.
- Big tech companies like OpenAI and Google support a federal approach.
- State leaders from both parties argue they need the power to regulate AI since Congress has not acted.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to create a single national standard for regulating artificial intelligence, a move aimed at stopping states from creating their own patchwork of different laws. The order seeks to give the federal government the final say on how the fast-moving technology is governed.
“We want to have one central source of approval,” Trump told reporters, arguing that it is unworkable for companies to navigate 50 different sets of rules. “You still won’t get it approved if you have to go to 50 states,” he said.
The new order gives the Trump administration the power to push back on what it considers the “most onerous” state-level regulations. A White House adviser clarified that the administration would not oppose state rules that are related to child safety.
This federal approach is strongly supported by major tech companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which would prefer to deal with one consistent set of national laws rather than dozens of local ones.
However, state leaders from both political parties are pushing back. They argue that they need the power to create guardrails around AI to protect their citizens, especially since Congress has consistently failed to pass any meaningful tech legislation. States are already moving ahead on their own.
California recently passed a law requiring AI developers to report on potential catastrophic risks, while Florida’s governor has proposed an AI “bill of rights.” Other states have already passed laws banning unauthorized deepfakes.
