Trump administration plans national AI rules to counter state laws

(MENAFN) The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order that would direct the Justice Department to challenge states attempting to implement their own artificial intelligence regulations, as stated by reports. The draft order, confirmed by a source familiar with the matter, could provoke a constitutional confrontation over the limits of presidential authority.

The initiative follows a failed attempt by the White House in July to ban state-level AI rules, blocked by Senate Republicans amid concerns about protecting Americans from potential AI risks. If enacted, the order would reinforce Trump’s efforts to impose a uniform national approach during a possible second term, continuing a pattern of legal disputes with Democratic-led states such as California, New York, and Vermont.

The draft order would have the Justice Department argue that state AI regulations violate interstate commerce, a tactic critics say may be unconstitutional. Travis Hall, an expert at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said, “This proposal is shocking in its disregard for the democratic processes of state governments in their work to address the real and documented harms arising from AI tools.”

The plan would also establish a federal task force to review state AI laws for potential restrictions on free speech and empower the Commerce Secretary to withhold federal broadband funding from states with such measures.

Trump has publicly called for a single nationwide AI standard, warning that a fragmented regulatory landscape could allow China to gain an advantage in AI development. “We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes. If we don’t, then China will easily catch us in the AI race,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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