The White House on Friday released a much-anticipated national legislative framework for artificial intelligence, a move aimed at preventing states from legislating on their own and pursuing the Trump administration's light-regulatory path toward artificial intelligence. The framework stems from an executive order signed by President Trump in December that barred states from enforcing their own AI regulations, covering a wide range of AI-related issues from data centers to AI scams.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year limiting the power of states to regulate artificial intelligence.
This White House framework could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. efforts to dominate the field of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role in everything from jobs to the stock market to the way people access information. But the technology still poses security risks as companies race to adopt it and incorporate it into their products.
The administration outlined six goals for Congress aimed at balancing rapid innovation with public trust, covering everything from data centers to government scrutiny.
Michael Kratzios, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement: "The White House's national artificial intelligence legislative framework will unleash American innovation and help win the global artificial intelligence race, resulting in breakthrough results that create jobs, reduce costs, and improve the lives of people across the United States."
The framework calls on Congress to provide parents with better "tools" to manage their children's digital lives; then asks Congress to streamline the data center approval process so that it can generate electricity on site; and strengthen existing laws to combat artificial intelligence scams.
The government has also proposed a plan to balance intellectual property protection with the need to train AI models using real content. It calls on Congress to "prevent the U.S. government from forcing technology companies, including artificial intelligence providers, to block, force publication, or modify content based on partisan or ideological agendas."
The administration says Congress should regulate artificial intelligence not through a single regulator but through industry-specific regulators. The policy also requires Congress to preempt any state laws that regulate how the model is developed.
As artificial intelligence permeates more areas of American life—from personal communications and relationships to health care and policing—its overall regulation is already limited.
In the absence of broad federal legislation, some states have passed laws to address the risks and harms that AI can pose, such as the generation of misleading deepfake videos and hiring discrimination.
The White House and many prominent figures in the field of artificial intelligence said that dealing with the fragmented regulations of each state may slow down the speed of innovation and affect the competitiveness of the United States in the global artificial intelligence competition with China. They believe this will have an impact on the economy and national security. But moves to block state-level regulation of artificial intelligence have also raised concerns that companies may evade responsibility if artificial intelligence products harm consumers.
The White House said it will work with Congress in the coming months to "translate this framework into legislation that the president can sign." However, many in the AI policy community believe that any relevant legislation will be difficult to pass before the November midterm elections.