Senate Overwhelmingly Votes to Strike AI State Law Moratorium

Early this morning, the Senate, on a 99-1 vote, approved an amendment sponsored by Senators Blackburn, Cantwell, and Collins striking the provision that would have prevented states from regulating artificial intelligence systems for 10 years.

Yesterday, it had been reported that Senator Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz had reached a proposed compromise on the AI moratorium. By the end of the day however, Senator Blackburn was a lead sponsor on the amendment to strike the dangerous provision from the bill. Around 4:30AM today, the Senate overwhelmingly supported that amendment.

“We thank Senators Markey, Blackburn, Cantwell, and Collins for their leadership on ensuring that states can protect their citizens from AI-driven harms,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director at EPIC. “The proposal to prevent states from regulating AI, especially with no federal rules in place, was misguided from the start.”