White House Negotiates Federal Preemption of State AI Laws

<p>The White House is in negotiations to establish a federal preemption of certain state AI laws, contingent upon support for key technology policy initiatives from Congress, according to Axios.</p><p><strong>Context:</strong> As states enact more stringent AI regulations, the Trump administration is under pressure to respond.</p><hr /><ul><li>The discussions aim to align the technology industry's priority of overriding state AI laws with legislation focused on online safety for children and addressing deepfakes.</li></ul><p><strong>Details:</strong> Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is leading the negotiations, which involve the Kids Online Safety Act and other technology-related legislation, as stated by a spokesperson.</p><ul><li>The spokesperson indicated that the proposed package does not represent a comprehensive preemption of all laws governing AI or child safety.</li><li>A White House official noted that the administration is actively engaging with various stakeholders across government and industry.</li></ul><p><strong>Overview:</strong> The interactions between Congress and the White House suggest that a bipartisan proposal from Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) may not serve as the primary framework for AI policy in the current Congress.</p><ul><li>This bill proposes a three-year preemption of state AI laws, the establishment of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, and requirements for developers to mitigate risks before releasing models.</li></ul><p><strong>Background:</strong> Previous attempts by the Trump administration to preempt state regulations faced significant opposition from advocacy groups and state legislators.</p><ul><li>Support from Blackburn, which was previously lacking, is seen as crucial for the success of the legislation.</li><li>The Obernolte-Trahan bill also encountered resistance from groups advocating for state regulatory authority.</li></ul><p><strong>Additional Information:</strong> Two sources informed Axios that the White House is scheduled to meet with AI companies this week to discuss benchmarking in relation to a recent AI and cyber executive order.</p><p>The renewed effort to preempt state laws follows Trump’s signing of an AI and cyber executive order that includes voluntary pre-deployment testing for advanced models.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The upcoming August recess in an election year may complicate the administration's ability to advance these AI initiatives.</p>