The Senate killed a controversial effort to prevent US states from regulating artificial intelligence, delivering a win for critics of the biggest tech companies after a compromise proposal collapsed.
Senators voted 99-1 early Tuesday to strip the language out of President Donald Trump’s signature tax legislation during a marathon session that began Monday and continued through the night. The overwhelming opposition came despite widespread support for the pause on state AI legislation from Trump administration officials and GOP allies in Silicon Valley.
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who led the effort to nix the provision, represents music industry power center Nashville. She had raised concerns the measure would block her home state’s ELVIS Act, a law backed by the record industry that prohibits people from using AI to mimic a musicians’ voices.
The state AI legislation freeze would have barred states from passing AI legislation if they received broadband funding from a $500 million broadband funding program.
Before the vote, Texas Senator Ted Cruz expressed frustration that a compromise he had brokered with Blackburn had collapsed and offered to have a voice vote on her amendment striking the provision, but she insisted on a roll call vote.
The measure was a top priority for major tech companies including Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc., as well as venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz, which backs smaller but still powerful players. Trump allies in Silicon Valley, including venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, defense tech firm Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale all advocated for including the provision.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick threw his support behind the AI measure as well, calling it imperative for national security.
Despite the Senate’s move, the tech industry will likely continue to push for curtailing state AI legislation in future federal tech policy efforts.
States across the country have enacted dozens of new laws aimed at protecting Americans against risks posed by AI, such as unauthorized deepfakes, copyright violations, and algorithmic discrimination. Congress has yet to pass sweeping regulations on AI.
免责声明:投资有风险,本文并非投资建议,以上内容不应被视为任何金融产品的购买或出售要约、建议或邀请,作者或其他用户的任何相关讨论、评论或帖子也不应被视为此类内容。本文仅供一般参考,不考虑您的个人投资目标、财务状况或需求。TTM对信息的准确性和完整性不承担任何责任或保证,投资者应自行研究并在投资前寻求专业建议。