President Trump just signed an executive order attempting to block states from regulating AI an unprecedented step that would strip states of the ability to protect their residents at a moment of extraordinary technological volatility. This move is overwhelmingly unpopular (polling has found that Americans oppose AI moratoriums by a 3-1 margin), and certain to be litigated in the courts. But it is also likely to achieve the exact opposite of its stated goals—deepening mistrust and slowing AI adoption at a time when America wants to win the global AI race.

We know because we’ve been here before. America has seeded many technological revolutions over the years, from electricity to automation to the internet. And in each of them we see a clear pattern: State-led regulation doesn’t slow growth. It spurs it. 

If President Trump sincerely wants America to lead in the AI race, he should look to our nation’s past. Technologies that defined American leadership became safer, more trusted, and more widely adopted because states helped set guardrails—not because Washington preempted them. 

When Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, carmakers prioritized speed and sales over safety. Predictably, fatalities soared—over 33 deaths per 10,000 vehicles in 1913, compared to just 1.6 per 10,000 today. But then commonsense regulation met the moment: California launched its DMV, which became the mechanism for identifying and tracking both cars and drivers (

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