Trump administration announces national AI policy framework to limit state power

The Trump administration on Friday announced a legal framework for a single national policy on artificial intelligence. The goal is to build uniform safety and security guardrails around the nascent technology, while preempting each state from enacting its own AI rules.

The six-pillar outline broadly proposes a number of regulations for AI products and infrastructure, from introducing new child safety rules to standardizing AI data center licensing and energy use.

It also calls on Congress to address thorny intellectual property issues and create rules that “prevent AI systems from being used to silence or censor legitimate political expression or dissent.”

In a public statement, the administration said it hopes to work with Congress “in the coming months” to translate the framework into legislation that President Donald Trump can sign.

Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in an interview with Fox News Thursday night that the White House wants to codify the framework “this year” and believes it can get bipartisan support.

That won’t be easy in a deeply divided Congress, where Republicans hold thin and often difficult majorities and where President Trump has already urged Republican lawmakers to prioritize a controversial voter ID bill above all else ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Senate spent much of this week debating the SAVE America Act, even though it doesn’t have the votes to pass it through the floor.

As concerns about AI and its effects rapidly grow, lawmakers in states like New York and California are pushing for state-level regulations.

AI industry leaders strongly opposed these efforts, arguing that the “patchwork” of laws would stifle innovation and give global competitors like China a huge advantage in the race for AI supremacy.

President Trump, whose administration has largely embraced AI, signed an executive order in December establishing a single national regulatory standard for the industry.

The White House framework asserts that “Congress should pre-empt state AI laws that impose undue burdens and ensure a minimum burden national standard consistent with these recommendations, rather than 50 contradictory recommendations.”

“The White House’s national AI legislative framework will unleash American ingenuity to win the global AI race and deliver breakthrough results that will create jobs, reduce costs, and improve the lives of Americans across the country,” Kratsios said in a press release Friday morning.

“At the same time, we’re tackling real concerns head-on, like protecting children online, protecting families from rising energy costs, respecting the rights of creators, and supporting American workers, so all Americans can trust and benefit from this amazing technology,” he said.