Trump Plans Executive Order for Federal AI Preemption

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he plans to issue an executive order this week establishing a single federal framework for regulating artificial intelligence, which would override any state-level rules on the technology. The move, outlined in a post on Truth Social, aims to streamline approvals for AI companies and maintain the United States' lead in the global race for AI dominance.

Trump described the order as creating "one rule" to prevent companies from navigating a patchwork of regulations across 50 states, some of which he labeled "bad actors." "You can't expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something," he wrote. The announcement follows a leaked draft of the executive order from last month, which directs the U.S. Attorney General to challenge existing state AI laws in court and instructs federal agencies to withhold funding, such as broadband grants, from states that maintain their own regulations. It also proposes forming an AI Litigation Task Force to evaluate and contest state statutes deemed burdensome.

The push for federal preemption comes amid growing state activity on AI oversight. With Congress slow to act on...