White House pulls back on AI laws executive order

U.S. states can craft their own AI regulations without intervention from the federal government, for now, at least.

Reuters reported that the Trump administration has paused a proposed executive order that would have preempted states from enacting their own AI laws. The draft order became a matter of public concern early last week, but the White House called it purely speculation and did not confirm its existence to Reuters. At this point, it appears that the federal government's efforts to block states from regulating AI on their own terms are at a standstill.

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That doesn't mean Trump and co. won't try again, of course. The Senate had to vote down a similar measure earlier this year by a staggering 99-1 count. The executive order that was paused last week would have used lawsuits and threats to withdraw federal funding and prevent states from regulating AI.

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It is very possible that Trump will try to find another way to prevent states from drafting their own AI laws, especially considering that companies like OpenAI and Google support such an idea, according to Reuters.