Statement on Republican Efforts to Block State AI Laws

WASHINGTON—Third Way’s Director of Technology, Ruth Whittaker, issued the following statement on Republican leadership’s attempt to override state AI laws:

“Republican leadership has made clear they’re committed to blocking states from regulating artificial intelligence. But between the leaked Executive Order and Rep. Scalise’s efforts to shoehorn language into the NDAA, their proposals have missed the mark.

“President Trump himself said it best: We must have one federal standard when it comes to the development of AI. We agree that there needs to be a federal safety framework that ensures state-of-the-art AI models can’t be used for wide-scale harm. But bulldozing state protections without anything to replace them doesn’t get us any closer to a sensible framework. It just eliminates guardrails for Americans while allowing foreign regulators to set the rules. 

“If we’re serious about leading the world in AI, Congress should do its job and pass a comprehensive safety framework covering the development of AI. As part of that framework, we should eliminate the patchwork of state laws regulating AI developers. That’s the only way to give US companies the predictability they need to innovate responsibly while protecting the public.

“Relying on an executive order and threatening to cut off internet access for millions of Americans–a tactic that was rejected 99-1 in the Senate earlier this year—isn’t leadership. It’s overreach and outright bullying. And sneaking last-minute language into the NDAA to override state laws is not a serious approach to a serious issue. 

“Only a durable, bipartisan set of safety standards from Congress overseeing the development of AI can deliver the protections Americans deserve and clarity the industry needs.”