Tech Lobbyโ Pushes โฃfor Federal AI Law, Aiming toโ Override โState Regulations
WASHINGTON D.C. โ- A concerted effort is underway to establish a national โartificial intelligence policy that โฃwould preempt state-levelโข regulations, sparking opposition from โฃstate officials and raising concerns about diminished oversightโค of the rapidly evolving technology. Backed โby the techโข industry โandโ some Republican lawmakers,โค the push centers on inserting language into the National Defence โคAuthorization Act (NDAA) that would effectively block states from enacting their own AI rules.
The โdebate pits the tech lobby, โwhich argues federal preemption โฃis crucial for maintaining U.S. leadership in AI – particularly for defense and national โsecurity applications – against state attorneys general and privacy advocates who โfear a weakening of consumer protections. A letter signed by multiple state lawmakers wasโค sent to members of the House andโ Senate opposing the preemption, asserting it would โขhinder their ability to address the impactsโข of artificialโ intelligence.
Theโค coreโข of โคtheโฃ strategyโฃ involves securing agreement from the leaders of โboth the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include the preemption language โฃin the NDAA. According to Evan Kemp,โ a consultant working against the โpreemption, Alabama Republican โRep. Mikeโข Rogers (chairman of the โขHouse Committee on Armed Services), washington Democratic Rep. Adam Smith (the committee’s ranking member), and Senate Committee on Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed are currently opposed. The position of Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, remains โคunannounced.
Beyond outright preemption, there’s โa possibility of a broader, but weaker,โข federal AI law being introduced through the NDAA, limiting โขoversight fromโข both state and federal regulators. The leading the Future PAC has launched a $10 โขmillion campaign to advocate for this “national AI policy,” as reported by CNBC.โ
“What we’re seeing,โข not just with preemption, but with these big tech superโค PACs is that big tech will go to โany effort to undermine โthat overwhelming small-D democratic will,” said Daniel Kleinman, highlighting polling data that consistently โshows strongโ bipartisan supportโฃ forโฃ AI regulation.
The outcome of โฃthisโ legislative battle will haveโข significant implications for the โfuture of AI governance in the United States, โขdetermining whether states retain the ability to shape the development and deployment of this transformative technology or whether a uniformโฃ federal framework will prevail.
