Trump’s AI order might be illegal: Democrats, consumer groups
President Donald Trump and his tech allies executive order Creating a national framework for AI regulation will give the United States the edge over China in the AI war and pave the way for innovation.
But Democratic lawmakers and state officials, as well as consumer advocacy groups, are sounding alarms about the impact of the order Trump signed Thursday night.
Some say the order, which aims to override state regulations on AI, could soon face legal challenges.
“This is the wrong approach and likely illegal,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Publish on X Thursday.
“We need a strong federal security standard, but we shouldn’t eliminate the few protections Americans currently have against the drawbacks of artificial intelligence,” Klobuchar said. he said.
Trump’s executive order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to create a task force to challenge state laws regulating artificial intelligence.
The Commerce Department was also directed to identify “onerous” state regulations on artificial intelligence.
The order is a win for tech companies OpenAI is aAnd Google and venture company Andreessen HorowitzAll of them lobbied against state regulations they found burdensome.
This follows pressure from some Republicans in Congress to impose a moratorium on state AI laws. A recent plan to add this moratorium to the National Defense Authorization Act fell through.
Collin McCune, head of government affairs at Andreessen Horowitz, celebrated Trump’s order, calling it an “important first step” to boost American competitiveness and innovation. But McCune called on Congress to create a national AI framework.
“States have an important role in combating harm and protecting people, but they cannot provide the long-term clarity or national direction that Congress alone can provide,” McCune said in a statement. he said.
Trump is seeking a partnership with Congress to pass such legislation, Sriram Krishnan, White House AI adviser and former general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday.
“The White House has taken a firm stance that we want to push back on the ‘disaster’ laws that currently exist in many states across the country,” Krishnan said. he said.
He also said the purpose of the executive order is to give the White House tools to go after state laws that he believes make America less competitive, such as laws recently passed in Democratic-led states like California and Colorado.
Krishnan said the White House will not use the executive order to target state laws protecting children’s safety.
Robert Weissman, co-chairman of the consumer advocacy group Public CitizenHe called Trump’s order “mostly bluster” and said the president “cannot unilaterally block state laws.”
“We expect the EO to be challenged and defeated in court,” Weissman said in a statement. he said. “In the meantime, states should continue their efforts to protect their residents from the growing dangers of uncontrolled artificial intelligence.”
Weissman said of the order: “This award to Big Tech is a shameful invitation to reckless behavior
by the largest corporations in the world, and a complete override of the federalist principles that Trump and MAGA claim to respect.”
In the short term, the order could affect a handful of states that have already passed legislation targeting AI. The decision states that states whose laws are deemed burdensome could lose federal funding.
The Colorado law, which goes into effect in June, will require AI developers to protect consumers from reasonably foreseeable risks of algorithmic discrimination.
Some say Trump’s order will have no real impact on that law or other state regulations.
“I almost ignore it because an executive order can’t tell a state what to do,” said Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone, a co-sponsor of the anti-discrimination bill.
Governor in California. Gavin Newsom he recently signed a law that will require major AI companies to publicly disclose their security protocols, starting in January.
State Senator Scott Wiener, the author of this legislation, said Trump’s stated goal of the United States dominating the artificial intelligence industry is being undermined by his latest moves.
“Of course, it allowed chip sales to China and Saudi Arabia: the exact opposite of ensuring US dominance,” Wiener wrote. an X post Thursday night. The Bay Area Democrat is seeking to replace retired Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Trump said he would on Monday Nvidia It will sell its advanced H200 chips to “approved customers” in China, provided the US takes a 25% cut in revenues.
