A bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general is urging Congress to reject a Republican proposal that would impose a 10-year moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence. The measure, included in former President Donald Trump’s tax cut bill, would override AI laws and regulations recently enacted by dozens of states.
The attorneys general from California, New York, Ohio, and other states argue that the ban would deprive consumers of necessary protections and hinder states’ ability to respond to emerging AI technologies. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, and attorneys general from Republican-led states like Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Utah, and Virginia joined the effort.
“Imposing a broad moratorium on all state action, while Congress fails to act in this area, is irresponsible and deprives consumers of reasonable protections,” the group stated in a letter to Congress.
Bonta emphasized the importance of state-level regulation, saying, “I strongly oppose any effort to block states from developing and enforcing common-sense regulation; states must be able to protect their residents by responding to emerging and evolving AI technology.”
California’s AI Regulations
California has been at the forefront of AI regulation, implementing several bills this year that limit specific AI applications. The state has criminalized the use of AI to generate sexually explicit images without consent, prohibited unauthorized deepfakes in political advertising, and required healthcare providers to notify patients when interacting with AI rather than humans.
Additionally, California law bars healthcare provider networks from using AI systems to determine medical necessity instead of doctors.
Republican Arguments for the Moratorium
House Republicans argue that the moratorium is necessary to facilitate federal implementation of AI regulations, for which they’ve allocated $500 million. Jay Obernolte, a California Republican representing Silicon Valley, stated that allowing numerous state-level AI regulations to take effect would create compliance challenges for agencies operating across multiple states.
Google has supported the proposed moratorium as “an important first step to both protect national security and ensure continued American AI leadership.”
Potential Challenges Ahead
The measure’s future remains uncertain as it faces a Senate vote and must clear the budget reconciliation process, typically reserved for budget-related legislation.
