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DOJ creates task force to challenge state AI regulations

By
Sarah N. Lynch
Sarah N. Lynch
Senior Justice Department Reporter
Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C.
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Sarah N. Lynch,
Lauren Fichten
Associate Producer
Lauren Fichten is an associate producer at CBS News.
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Lauren Fichten

/ CBS News

The Justice Department on Friday announced to employees it is creating an artificial intelligence taskforce to challenge state-level regulations so that AI companies can "be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation," according to an internal memo reviewed by CBS News.

The memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi cites President Trump's executive order last month aimed at restricting "excessive" state AI rules. The order argued that a "patchwork" of overlapping or contradictory state-by-state regulations could imperil the AI industry — though opponents from have pushed back.

The memo said that the AI Litigation Taskforce will challenge state laws on grounds that they are illegal, unconstitutionally regulate interstate commerce or are overridden by existing federal regulations.

The taskforce, at the direction of Mr. Trump, will consult with White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, among others, regarding state laws that might warrant challenge, the memo said. 

Sacks, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has defended the president's measure to curb state oversight, last month that the order "will provide the tools necessary for the federal government to push back against the most onerous and excessive state regulation."

According to the memo, the task force will be led by either Bondi or an appointee, and will be made up of representatives from the offices of the Deputy and Associate Attorney General, the Justice Department's Civil Division and the Solicitor General's office. 

A handful of states — including Colorado, California, Utah and Texas — have passed laws that set rules for AI companies, and several other states are considering regulations. Most AI-related bills proposed in state legislatures last year centered on protections from AI overreach, including legislation designed to restrict "deepfakes" and require companies to disclose if consumers are interacting with AI chatbots, the Brookings Institution. 

In December, Senate Democrats led by Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced legislation to block Mr. Trump's executive order on state AI regulation. 

"While I am confident that the courts will strike down Trump's illegal power grab, Congress has a responsibility to assert its legislative authority and block this Executive Order," Markey said in a statement at the time.

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