In a recent development, the U.S. Senate voted to remove a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI laws from a Republican spending bill. This decision has prompted the Center for Data Innovation to issue a statement through its Director, Daniel Castro.
"Today’s Senate vote to strip the 10-year moratorium on state AI laws from the Republican spending bill is a major setback for U.S. leadership in AI," said Castro. He emphasized that the United States is competing globally with countries like China, which are advancing coordinated national strategies to dominate artificial intelligence.
Castro argued that America must leverage its talent, data, and innovation rather than burdening AI companies with varying state regulations. "A national moratorium on state AI laws wouldn’t eliminate oversight; it would give Congress the space to craft a single, consistent framework that protects consumers while enabling innovation," he stated.
He warned that allowing multiple sets of rules across states could lead to increased costs and confusion for companies involved in developing future technologies. "If the goal of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is to spur economic growth, then pausing the deluge of state AI legislation should have been a key part of it," Castro noted.
The Center for Data Innovation suggests that once current legislative processes conclude, Congress should consider revisiting this proposal as an independent measure.
Castro has previously discussed why Congress should replace conflicting state AI laws with a unified national framework and how such a pause would benefit federal IT modernization efforts.
For further information, contact Nicole Hinojosa at [email protected]