EPIC Opposes House Proposal to Ban States from Regulating AI

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation text includes dangerous provisions on artificial intelligence that would allocate $500 million to federal government spending on AI and preempt state AI legislation for the next 10 years.

“A 10-year ban on state legislators’ ability to pass AI laws is a gift to Big Tech, allowing them to continue building the unproven, discriminatory AI systems that are already harming Americans,” said Alan Butler, Executive Director at EPIC. “We’ve seen this playbook before – AI developers will then tell Congress that their systems are too complex to regulate. States are already acting to prevent AI-driven harms, and Congress must reject this proposal to preserve states’ rights to enact laws that protect their residents.”

EPIC consistently advocates for state regulation that places meaningful guardrails on the development and use of AI and draws attention to the many harms AI causes. EPIC has also been urging Congress to enact a comprehensive data privacy law for over 25 years.