Congress Should Heed State Lawmakers’ Request to Oppose AI Preemption
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter sent to Congress today, 260 state lawmakers representing all 50 states — 130 Republicans, 129 Democrats, and one Independent — called on their federal counterparts to reject a dangerous provision in the recently-passed House budget bill that would strip states of their ability to enact and enforce safeguards against AI-related harms for the next decade.
Ilana Beller, a democracy advocate for Public Citizen, released the following statement in support of the letter:
“The idea that the U.S. can afford to take a decade-long break from regulating technology that is getting more powerful by the day would be laughable if it weren’t so appalling.
“This ridiculous provision is a slap in the face to the state legislators who have taken bipartisan action to protect their constituents from urgent AI-related harms — and a thinly veiled gift to Big Tech companies that will profit as a result of a complete lack of oversight.
“Members of Congress should listen to their counterparts at the state level and reject this provision immediately.”