Report from CNBC
Context – The second Trump Administration, with a far bigger cohort of tech backers than the first, has pitched AI development as a national imperative to compete with China. Its leaders often criticize often criticize fear-based “AI safety” regulation, especially in Europe. Ironically, while the EU is discussing slowing AI regulation to promote local AI development, a growing number of US states are moving in the other direction. Last year, the Trump Administration tried to push a five-year moratorium on state AI regulation through Congress, but several stridently anti-Big Tech Republicans joined with united Democrats to block the effort. The President issued an executive order to “check the most onerous and excessive” state measures but his authority is limited. Many digital policy issues appear to enjoy bipartisan agreement, but hurdles including razor thin margins between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and substantial policy disagreements between and within the parties, have stymied legislation. There’s no evidence that AI regulation is going to be meaningfully different from social media, privacy, digital competition or encryption.