Trump has targeted state AI laws in his draft executive order
US President Donald WIRED has learned that Trump is considering signing an executive order that seeks to challenge state efforts to regulate artificial intelligence through lawsuits and withholding federal funding.
A draft of the ruling, seen by WIRED, directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to create an “AI Litigation Task Force,” which aims to sue states in court for passing AI regulations that they say violate federal laws governing things like free speech and interstate commerce.
Trump could sign the executive order, currently titled “Removal of Obligations from Government Rules on National Artificial Intelligence Policy,” as early as this week, according to four people familiar with the matter. A White House spokesperson told WIRED that “discussions about potential executive orders are speculative.”
The order says the AI Allegation Task Force will work with several White House technology advisers, including special adviser on artificial intelligence and cryptography David Sachs, to determine which states are violating federal law. According to the draft, it refers to state regulations that “require AI models to alter their actual outputs” or compel AI developers to “report information in a manner that violates the First Amendment or any other provision of the Constitution.”
The order specifically mentions recently enacted AI safety laws in California and Colorado that require AI developers to publish disclosure reports about how they train models. Major tech trade groups, including the Chamber of Progress — backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Google and OpenAI — have lobbied hard against the effort, which they describe as a “patchy” approach to AI regulation that stifles innovation. These groups are instead lobbying for a simple set of federal rules to guide AI development.
“If the president is going to win the AI race, the American people need to know that AI is safe and trustworthy,” said Cody Wenzke, senior policy adviser at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This draft only undermines that trust.”
The order comes as Silicon Valley ramps up pressure on proponents of government regulation of artificial intelligence. For example, a super PAC funded by OpenAI founder Andreessen Horowitz, Greg Brockman, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale recently announced a campaign against New York Assemblyman Alex Borse, author of the state’s AI safety bill.
House Republicans have also renewed their push to pass a blanket moratorium on states enacting laws regulating artificial intelligence after a previous version of the measure failed.
