Trump’s Latest Entry Into The AI Policy Battle |
When it comes to federal AI regulation, President Donald Trump seems to be dialing back the antagonism and trying to get what he wants through a more conventional route. It’s no secret that Trump wants as little regulation as possible: He’s worked to cut regulations throughout the government, and he has said that regulations can stymie development. Trump has also said the U.S. must dominate global AI and win the race, and he wants to stop state-level efforts to regulate how AI can be used.
Going on the attack hasn’t worked. A provision for a 10-year moratorium on state AI laws was removed from the administration’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, and a similar provision was axed from the National Defense Authorization Act. An executive order directing the Justice Department to file lawsuits against states with AI laws on the books hasn’t yet resulted in any litigation—and it also hasn’t stopped state legislatures from talking about the issue. According to Multistate.ai, more than 1,500 AI-related bills are currently being considered in 45 states.
So Trump has tried a more conventional approach: Publishing a policy framework. In it, he urges Congress to pass federal AI regulations that will preempt state-level ones. It remains to be seen if this less confrontational path will work more effectively—or if the administration will return to its usual tactics soon.
A common cybersecurity problem enabled by AI is deepfakes. This kind of attack can be devastating to a company and is difficult to prevent. I spoke with Incode founder and CEO Ricardo Amper about strategies to address the issue. An excerpt from our conversation appears later in this newsletter.
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Last week, President Donald Trump released his policy guidelines for federal AI regulation: A document with seven items he would like Congress to address through legislation. Trump has said he wants the government to have a light touch in regulating AI, giving companies free rein to innovate.
Last on the list—but likely the top priority—is creating a federal policy framework to preempt state-specific AI laws, ensuring that companies have only one “minimally burdensome” standard to follow when working on AI anywhere in the country. Trump signed an executive order in December blocking state AI laws that hasn’t appeared to have much effect; 45 state legislatures across the nation are debating AI regulation bills during the current session.
The framework also calls for copyright protections for content creators and publishers, asking Congress to enable licensing frameworks for AI-generated content use and protection of AI-generated digital replicas of their voices and likenesses. It states courts should decide the issue of fair use of content........