AI laws could stifle innovation, but broad preemption would be ‘reckless,’ experts tell House subcommittee

During a congressional hearing Thursday focused on the future of artificial intelligence policy, experts testified that while state regulations could stifle innovation, broad federal preemption of state laws would be “reckless.”

The hearing, which was titled, “AI at a Crossroads: A Nationwide Strategy or Californication?”, was held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet. It followed the defeat of a 10-year ban on states enforcing their AI laws that was shopped in the Senate earlier this year. The proposed ban, led by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, was met with stiff opposition from a large number of state lawmakers and state attorneys general, and eventually lost all support in the Senate before it was killed by a vote of 99-1.

However, a potential preemption of state AI laws and policies has since found new life in the federal government’s AI Action Plan, a 28-page document released by the Trump White House at the end of July that proposes to revoke federal funds for states with AI rules that are deemed “burdensome” or “unduly restrictive.”

Read more at StateScoop