Letter follows White House moves to quash AI legislation in Utah, Florida, red states
On Tuesday, more than 50 Republican state lawmakers from across the country sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the White House to halt efforts to block state artificial intelligence legislation and instead work collaboratively with states to address emerging AI risks.
The letter follows reporting that the Administration has taken steps to discourage or oppose GOP-backed AI legislation in Utah and Florida. In their letter, the lawmakers express serious concerns about efforts to pressure states to abandon legislation aimed at mitigating risks at leading AI companies and safeguarding constituents.
“We firmly believe state-led efforts are fully consistent with conservative principles and with your stated goals of promoting human flourishing while accelerating innovation,” the lawmakers write.
The signatories emphasize that their constituents expect action on concrete concerns tied to fast-moving AI systems, including youth exposure to deepfake content, transparency when interacting with AI systems, and the local impacts of rapid data center development. They argue that states are responding in a targeted and pragmatic way to real and growing harms.
The letter, signed by 51 state legislators from more than a dozen states, was delivered to the White House on March 3.
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Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest, focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more at ARI.us.