Trump targets state AI laws in draft executive order
US President Donald Trump is considering signing an executive order that seeks to challenge state efforts to regulate artificial intelligence through lawsuits and withholding federal funding, WIRED has learned.
The draft order seen by WIRED directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to create an “AI Litigation Task Force,” whose goal is to sue states in court for issuing AI regulations that allegedly violate federal laws governing things like free speech and interstate commerce.
Trump could sign the order, currently titled “Eliminating State Law Obstruction of National AI Policy,” as early as this week, according to four sources familiar with the matter. A White House spokesperson told WIRED that “discussion of potential executive orders is purely speculative.”
The executive order states that the AI Litigation Task Force will work with several White House technology advisers, including Special Counsel on AI and Cryptocurrency David Sachs, to identify states that violate federal laws detailed in the executive order. It points to state regulations that “require AI models to alter their truthful output” or force AI developers to “report information in a way that violates the First Amendment or any other provision of the Constitution,” according to the draft.
The order specifically cites recently enacted AI safety laws in California and Colorado that require AI developers to publish transparency reports on how models are trained, among other provisions. Major tech trade groups, including the Chamber of Progress – backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Google, and OpenAI – have lobbied strongly against these efforts, which they describe as a “patchwork” approach to regulating AI that stifles innovation. These groups are instead lobbying for a lighter set of federal laws to guide the progress of artificial intelligence.
“If the president wants to win the AI race, the American people need to know that AI is safe and trustworthy,” says Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. “This draft only serves to undermine that trust.”
It comes as Silicon Valley increases pressure on supporters of government AI regulations. For example, a super PAC has been funded by Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, and most recently Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale Campaign announced v. New York Assemblyman Alex Burris, author of the state’s AI safety bill.
House Republicans also renewed their efforts to pass a comprehensive moratorium on states introducing laws regulating artificial intelligence after a previous version of the measure failed.