How US States Are Shaping AI Policy Amid Federal Debate and Industry Pushback

The Tech Policy Press Podcast

In the United States, state legislatures are key players in shaping artificial intelligence policy, as lawmakers attempt to navigate a thicket of politics surrounding complex issues ranging from AI safety, deepfakes, and algorithmic discrimination to workplace automation and government use of AI. The decision by the US Senate to exclude a moratorium on the enforcement of state AI laws from the budget reconciliation package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump over the July 4 weekend leaves the door open for more significant state-level AI policymaking.

To take stock of where things stand on state AI policymaking, Tech Policy Press associate editor Cristiano Lima-Strong spoke to two experts:

• Scott Babwah Brennen, director of NYU’s Center on Technology Policy, and
• Hayley Tsukayama, associate director of legislative activism at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).