By Gloria Ogbonna
The Trump White House has created what one leading tech policy advocate describes as a “really good template” for how Congress can establish clear “rules of the road” for artificial intelligence in the United States.
Speaking at Breitbart News’s “Energy Dominance and AI” policy event in Washington, D.C., Nathan Leamer, executive director of Build American AI, outlined why he believes lawmakers must adopt a unified federal framework to ensure America’s leadership in the rapidly advancing AI sector.
The event also featured Interior Secretary and Chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council Doug Burgum and Dave McCormick (R-PA), highlighting the growing intersection between energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence development.
Learning from the Internet Era
Leamer argued that the future success of AI in the United States depends on learning lessons from how the federal government handled the rise of the internet. Drawing from his experience in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sphere, he explained that internet policy historically required national standards because of its inherently interstate nature.
“Inherently, internet policy is interstate,” Leamer said, referencing the authority granted under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. “You can’t just have one state do one thing and another state do something completely different. You can’t have different rules of the road.”
He pointed to landmark legislation such as the Communications Decency Act and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as examples of federal efforts to create a consistent nationwide framework that allowed the internet to flourish while setting guardrails.
Similarly, Leamer argued, artificial intelligence now requires a unified national policy framework to prevent a fragmented regulatory landscape that could slow innovation and create uncertainty for businesses.
Concerns Over a Patchwork of State Laws
Without a cohesive federal approach, Leamer warned, states are already moving to implement their own AI regulations — a trend he says could create significant compliance burdens for startups and smaller companies.
He cited Colorado as an example, arguing that its regulatory approach is already prompting companies to reconsider operating there due to increased compliance costs. He added that states across the political spectrum — including both blue and red states — may be tempted to pass laws that appear proactive but unintentionally discourage entrepreneurship and investment.
Such a patchwork system, he contended, could lead to an “avalanche” of regulatory conflicts and increased costs, particularly for emerging AI startups that lack the resources to navigate 50 different regulatory regimes.
A national framework, Leamer emphasized, would establish consistent standards, reduce uncertainty, and allow innovators to focus on building technology rather than navigating conflicting state laws.
Trump Executive Order as a Policy Blueprint
Leamer praised President Donald Trump’s December executive order on artificial intelligence as a strong starting point for Congress.
The executive order calls for the development of a federal AI policy framework designed to protect American rights, support innovation, and prevent what it describes as a fragmented patchwork of state regulations that could weaken national competitiveness. It also stresses the importance of respecting federalism and state authority while ensuring consistency at the national level.
According to Leamer, the White House framework strikes a balance between innovation and responsibility. One key component, he noted, is protecting children in digital environments while empowering parents to oversee their children’s online experiences.
“How do we protect kids?” Leamer said. “There are a lot of good ideas at the federal level about how we can write the rules of the road in a way that makes sense to protect children but also enable innovation.”
He described the administration’s approach as a practical template that Congress can build upon as it drafts long-term AI legislation.
Maintaining American Leadership in AI
Beyond regulatory consistency, Leamer stressed the geopolitical stakes of AI policy. In his view, American leadership in artificial intelligence is not guaranteed — and without decisive action, the United States risks falling behind global competitors.
“American leadership is needed,” he said. “Otherwise, China is going to lead the way, and that’s going to put us at a disadvantage.”
He argued that establishing a clear, innovation-friendly federal framework would help ensure that AI development remains centered in the United States, strengthening economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness.
As lawmakers continue debating the future of AI regulation, Leamer’s message was clear: the federal government must move decisively to set national standards — learning from the internet era — to ensure that artificial intelligence becomes a pillar of American strength rather than a casualty of regulatory fragmentation.
Source Breitbart
Original article
Comments