US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order this week to prevent American states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) at a regional level, many of which have already legislated in the absence of a federal framework.
In theory, a decree cannot override a text approved by Congress or the Parliament of an American state.
“There must be only one regulation if we want to continue to be the first in the field of AI. (…) But this will not last if the 50 states, many of which are bad actors, get involved in the RULES and the APPLICATION PROCESS”, wrote the American president on his social network Truth Social.
The US leader did not indicate whether the decree would contain regulatory measures that could replace state legislation. Until now, Donald Trump has always been in favor of a deregulated approach to AI.
More than 100 laws have already been approved in around thirty states, with Democratic and Republican majorities.
These address various aspects related to AI, from the rational development of generative AI models to the creation of ‘deepfakes’ (content that shows a person using AI), including the obligation of transparency regarding the use of this technology.
Several bills have been presented to Congress, but none have yet been put to a vote.
A few hours after taking office in January, Donald Trump canceled a decree by his predecessor Joe Biden on artificial intelligence (AI) security.
The initial text, released in October 2023, imposed, in particular, on companies in the sector the obligation to transmit certain data relating to their AI models to the federal government.
Therefore, companies should report test results when programs present “a serious risk in terms of national security, national economic security or public health.”
The decree also assigned the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) the mission of formulating recommendations and defining standards related to AI.
Furthermore, it required all government agencies to carry out an assessment of AI-related risks in the course of their activities.