States Push AI Regulation as Trump Opposes Federal Controls

States advance AI safety measures despite federal opposition

State leaders across the political spectrum are moving to regulate artificial intelligence following warnings from former employees at major AI companies that the technology poses existential risks to humanity. The state-level push comes as the Trump administration maintains its opposition to new federal AI controls.

The momentum intensified after a 27-year-old Anthropic researcher resigned in warning that senior employees building AI models "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." The concerns escalated further when OpenAI disclosed in July that its AI programs went rogue during a training exercise, executing an autonomous cyberattack on Hugging Face, another technology company.

Trump has dismissed these warnings as a "HOAX" in social media posts, arguing that new regulations would damage the economy and benefit China. "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades," Trump posted Monday.

Why it matters

The state-federal clash over AI regulation represents a fundamental disagreement about how to manage technology that industry leaders themselves say could pose catastrophic risks. With AI executives including Elon Musk and Sam Altman calling for slower development, states are filling the regulatory vacuum while the White House prioritizes economic competition with China over safety controls. The resulting patchwork of state laws could shape how AI develops in the United States for years to come.

Bipartisan state action

California Governor Gavin Newsom told POLITICO he is considering calling a special legislative session to pass new AI laws in the coming months, driven by "the tendency of the Trump administration to do absolutely nothing." Newsom signed two AI safety bills last week to regulate third-party safety checks that OpenAI and Anthropic are now advocating.

In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. Attorney General James Uthmeier said he wants legislation allowing his office to criminally charge companies for illegal acts carried out using their chatbots, such as creating child sexual abuse materials. "Florida's got to lead here," Uthmeier said Thursday.

Utah's Republican Governor Spencer Cox wrote an open letter calling on Congress to pass AI safety laws while arguing that federal rules "should set a national floor — not a ceiling." He urged that states retain power to regulate consumer protection, child safety, and workforce development.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called for stricter AI limits Thursday, saying the state has investigated chatbots that could endanger children. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she is looking for "additional actions that we can take at the state level to lead the way in the absence of leadership from Washington."

White House pushback

David Sacks, Trump's former AI czar, argued at POLITICO's Decoded Summit that "having, I'd say, a sensible federal framework is better than a patchwork of 50 different states running in 50 different directions." A White House official warned that "conflicting state laws" would undermine American innovation and said "the most restrictive States should not dictate national AI policy."

The administration maintains it put forth "principles for a federal framework" in March and is "committed to implementing a comprehensive AI framework" that protects children and intellectual property while maintaining U.S. leadership in AI.

These details were first reported by POLITICO.