President Trump is preparing to block US states from regulating AI, claiming that a patchwork of potentially conflicting laws could cripple the technology’s development.
“There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday. “We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors.”
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In response, the president plans on announcing “a ONE RULE Executive Order this week” that would go after state-level AI laws. “THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS! AI WILL BE DESTROYED IN ITS INFANCY!” Trump further warned. “You can’t expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something. THAT WILL NEVER WORK!”
A draft EO seen by Politico suggests the White House would use the Justice Department to go after state laws it doesn’t like via an “AI Litigation Task Force.” It also says Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would be able to withhold federal broadband funds from states whose AI laws the White House doesn’t approve of. Those efforts would likely face legal challenges, however.
Numerous states, including California and Texas, have introduced or enacted laws aimed at ensuring the safe use of AI. However, the White House has been pressuring Congress to pass federal AI legislation that would preempt state laws. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, for example, initially included a provision that would have put a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation. It was removed by a 99-1 vote in July. Lawmakers tried again with the pending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but axed that provision, too.
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So, Trump faces an uphill battle, which is probably why he’s going the executive order route. Whatever happens, it’s likely a win for technology companies racing to build new data centers and deploy new models, despite concerns about AI’s impact on society and the environment.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
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