President Donald Trump took aim at states regulating artificial intelligence, saying there must be one consistent regulatory framework across the country.
After a rocky relationship with Big Tech companies during his first term and after, Trump has made allies out of them during his second term. On Tuesday, the president praised investment in AI as a key factor in economic growth, warning that this could be derailed if regulations weren’t consistent.
“Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World — But overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Growth Engine,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Some States are even trying to embed DEI ideology into AI models, producing ‘Woke AI’ (Remember Black George Washington?). We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes,” he added.
The president then preempted common criticisms of Big Tech, saying a common regulatory framework could be found that “protects children AND prevents censorship!”
WEALTH IN THE AGE OF AI: HEDGE OR HARNESS?
Major Republicans in the House and Senate, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), have pursued legislation to ban state-level AI regulation. Previous efforts have been unsuccessful due to past Republican skepticism about Big Tech overreach, so Trump’s endorsement could prove decisive in getting it through.
The growing prospect of AI has driven heavy investment from businesses and entire countries, as people and entities scramble to be at the forefront of AI development. The rush to invest more in AI has also led to concerns about an AI bubble, which has caused significant market volatility over the past week.
