The state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, signed an executive order on Monday that gives California four months to develop AI policies that prioritize public safety. States have passed more than 100 laws to shield children from chatbots and to block AI companies from pilfering copyright-protected material, according to the New York Times. The White House issued a national policy framework for AI in December that discouraged states from passing such regulations. “To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” Trump’s executive order announcing the framework reads. “But excessive state regulation thwarts this imperative.”Trump’s order directed the justice department in December to establish an AI litigation taskforce to challenge state AI regulations.

Source: The Guardian March 31, 2026 09:34 UTC