Tech Companies Continue Push for Ban on State AI Regulations
Tech companies are reportedly continuing to press the White House and Congress to pass legislation that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence.
[contact-form-7]After an attempt to attach a 10-year ban to President Donald Trump’s tax legislation failed in June, industry lobbyists aim to attach it to future legislation, Bloomberg reported Thursday (Aug. 21).
In July, lobbyists successfully pushed for Trump’s AI plan to include a directive to stop AI-related funding from going to states with “unduly restrictive” AI regulation, according to the report.
States are considering a collective total of about 500 laws that would regulate the development and deployment of AI, the report said.
Five states have already passed laws that apply to tech companies and more have passed ones that affect how businesses use the technology, per the report.
Tech industry representatives argue that regulation would slow the development of AI, that a patchwork of state laws would be more difficult to deal with than federal legislation, and that regulations should apply to how the technology is used, rather than the tech itself, according to the report.
Advocates of state regulations counter that the federal government has failed to pass comprehensive AI legislation, that the technology can be used to harm consumers and artists, and that states should be free to pass laws that protect their citizens, per the report.
It was reported in June that the tech industry was divided over the proposed 10-year ban on state regulation of AI models. While some industry representatives said regulation would slow the progress of the technology and impede the U.S. in its competition with China, others said the ban would favor Big Tech companies and prevent accountability for those who build technology that could cause foreseeable harm.
Senators voted 99-1 in July to remove the proposed ban from Trump’s tax legislation. The move was seen as a defeat for Big Tech companies.
It was reported in March that while state legislators were introduced AI-related bills at a record pace, the bills tended to have more of a pro-innovation intent than a stricter, European Union-style focus on reigning in risks.
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