States press ahead with AI laws despite Trump's warning

Six months after President Donald Trump warned states to back off regulating artificial intelligence, they are doing it anyway and in greater numbers than before.

The Trump administration placed AI at the centre of national economic priorities by signing an executive order mandating the attorney general to form a task force aimed at confronting state laws regarding artificial intelligence if such laws were found to be “more than minimally burdensome".

The Department of Commerce was instructed to create a list of such laws, while the White House warned that funding for such laws would be withheld.

The administration added that it is still “eager to cooperate with partners” on its policy framework, which also called on Congress to preempt state laws inconsistent with its own approach.

More AI bills have been introduced at the state level this year than last, according to the Future of Privacy Forum, a nonprofit tracking data privacy legislation. Republican-led states are participating alongside Democratic ones.

Illinois is the furthest along on AI safety rules. Legislation pending the approval of the governor of Democrats JB Pritzker necessitates that the makers of complex AI systems adopt guidelines to avoid catastrophic consequences like biological weapon attacks or massive attacks on infrastructural facilities.

Several states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oregon, have enacted legislation regarding the interactions between AI chatbots and their customers or, more specifically, minors.

The new legislation in Connecticut ensures that chatbots have mechanisms to block minors under the age of 18, except if the AI has a program to prevent self-harm.

California is developing legislation known as the “No Robo Bosses Act of 2026", which will prohibit AI-dependent termination or disciplinary actions by employers on their employees.