AI Regulation Debate intensifies: Will 2025 bring harmony in AI legislation or a diverse, fragmented approach? CEO Jules Polonetsky's viewpoint.
In the opening months of 2025, the focus of the 119th Congress regarding AI regulation has been marked by a notably cautious approach towards restricting state and local governments' authority to regulate AI. This shift contrasts with prior attempts to impose a federal moratorium on such regulations, as highlighted in an op-ed published by Jules Polonetsky on Tech Policy Press on January 10, 2025.
The op-ed suggests that the post-election reshuffle in Washington D.C. presents an opportunity to address AI issues on a national level. However, it does not indicate a strong emphasis on regulating the consumer protection aspects of AI by the 119th Congress. Instead, the focus appears to be on preserving regulatory pluralism at the state level.
The op-ed does not provide specific AI-related bills or proposals that have been introduced in the 119th Congress. However, it is worth noting that the year 2025 has started with more than 40 AI-related proposals, and in 2024, over 700 AI-related bills were introduced in the United States.
One party currently controls the White House and both houses of Congress in Washington D.C., but the op-ed does not discuss which party this is.
Compared to other tech issues, Congress's AI regulatory stance in 2025 appears to favour a pro-innovation and limited federal interference approach, avoiding heavy-handed or prescriptive federal AI rules. Instead, a risk-based framework that is still evolving is being supported.
The White House AI Action Plan of 2025 reflects this approach by being pro-tech development and innovation, offering only minimal guidance such as encouraging management of ideological bias in AI and investment in evaluating AI risks without instituting comprehensive guardrails or legislation.
The 119th Congress passed broader tax and spending legislation (H.R. 1) focused on other policy priorities (tax cuts, Medicaid, EVs, renewable energy), with the significant yet subtle choice to leave AI state regulatory authority intact — a powerful statement given the federal government's usual centralizing tendencies on tech issues.
Compared to debates over privacy, climate, and social program funding, AI regulation was a heated but narrowly focused issue dominated by the question of state vs. federal regulatory authority rather than broad federal AI legislation. The 119th Congress did not enact sweeping AI rules but chose to preserve regulatory pluralism at the state level.
In summary, AI regulation in the 119th Congress was primarily dominated by efforts to prevent a federally imposed ban on state AI rules rather than broad federal AI legislation, contrasting with other tech policy areas where Congress moved decisively on tax and spending priorities.
| Issue | 119th Congress Approach in 2025 | |-----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | AI Regulation | Preserved state regulation authority; no federal moratorium; pro-innovation, risk-based light guidance from the federal government | | Other Tech Issues (privacy, energy, social) | Passed tax/spending bill extending tax cuts, scaling back federal support for electric vehicles, Medicaid expansions, and renewables[1] | | AI Legislative Debate | Debate centered on moratorium of state AI rules; no broad federal AI regulation passed; administrations pushing modest AI action plans[2][3][5] |
The op-ed expresses concern about the potential lack of attention to AI issues in the 119th Congress and suggests that the Congress may prioritize tech issues beyond AI regulation.
- The op-ed questions whether the 119th Congress might prioritize technology issues beyond AI regulation, considering their emphasis on preserving regulatory pluralism at the state level.
- Despite the absence of broad federal AI legislation, the White House AI Action Plan in 2025 emphasizes pro-tech development and innovation, focusing on managing ideological bias in AI and evaluating AI risks, but without instituting comprehensive guardrails or legislation.
- The policy-and-legislation landscape in 2025 suggests a shift towards a pro-innovation and limited federal interference approach in artificial-intelligence, as demonstrated by the general-news that the 119th Congress passed broader tax and spending legislation focusing on other policy priorities, while maintaining the state's regulatory authority over AI, a rare case of federal decentralization in tech policy.
