States forge ahead with AI regulations despite Trump’s insistence he lead the way
States forge ahead with AI regulations despite Trump’s insistence he lead the way
Publish Date: 2026-06-14 05:07:00
Source Domain: apnews.com
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Six months after President Donald Trump warned states not to regulate artificial intelligence, they are increasingly doing just that.
Congress has stalled on producing federal regulation of artificial intelligence as states forge ahead and scrutinize how chatbots interact with children, how AI systems are used by employers and what developers must do to try to prevent an AI-caused catastrophe.
State lawmakers have stepped back from earlier, wider-ranging attempts to regulate AI that were vetoed or otherwise derailed by governors who viewed the measures as too onerous toward the industry’s development, including efforts to hold developers accountable for bias in AI systems.
But they are returning with legislation that is more targeted and, often, probes the corners of life where Americans interact with AI but may not know it.
Presidential power versus state power
Trump’s move to restrain states’ actions on AI drew criticism from members of both political parties and civil liberties and consumer rights groups who worried that banning state regulation would amount to a gift to AI giants, who enjoy little to no oversight.
Trump has made AI a top national and economic security priority, and he said that letting states clutter the regulatory playing field for an industry that’s spending trillions of dollars and driving the economy is too risky in the race with China for AI superiority.
Trump issued an executive order that directed the attorney general to create a task force to challenge state laws that are more than “minimally burdensome,” and directed the Commerce Department to draw up a list of problematic regulations. It also threatened to restrict funding from a broadband deployment program and other grant programs to states with AI laws.
The White House said it wouldn’t target state laws that seek to prevent fraud and protect consumers and children.
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