When Trump Turns Artificial Intelligence into a Political Weapon
Tehran - BORNA - At the core of this plan is the Trump administration's clear attempt to centralize power at the federal level and eliminate state authority in AI regulation. In the initial version of a new tax bill, a provision was included that would have banned any state-level AI legislation for 10 years. Although this provision was removed by the Senate with a decisive vote of 99 to 1, Trump continues to pursue this goal through indirect means.
Under this plan, only states that do not have "heavy" regulations on AI would be eligible for AI-related funding. However, the concept of "AI-related funding" is so vague that, according to experts, any discretionary funding, from broadband financing to support for schools and infrastructure, could fall under this definition.
Grace Gaddy, a policy analyst, warned that this ambiguity is intentionally designed to put states in a complicated position.
Will the FCC Become the Regulator of AI?
A more concerning part of the plan is where the President calls for the involvement of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in regulating AI. According to the plan, the FCC must examine whether state regulations pose a barrier to the agency's duties under the Communications Act of 1934. However, the FCC has no prior experience in regulating algorithms, websites, or social networks and is not even considered a privacy authority.
Cody Vancek, senior policy advisor at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), stated, "The idea that the FCC would have oversight over AI is nothing but a distortion of the Communications Act. This agency is not a comprehensive technology regulator, and such authority has not been defined for it."
One of the new executive orders signed by Trump in line with this plan is titled "Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government," which prohibits government agencies from using AI systems with "ideological bias." The order stipulates that large language models must be "neutral, nonpartisan," and "truth-seeking," avoiding the reproduction of values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Indirect Pressure on Technology Companies
While the government is trying to impose its ideological standards on AI providers, companies are facing a major challenge, including receiving government contracts or the risk of losing access to the massive government market.
OpenAI has introduced a version of ChatGPT specifically for government agencies called "ChatGPT Gov," and XAI has launched "Grok for Government." If these models are designed based on the government's requirements, we will likely soon see the impact of these policies in public versions as well.
Legal or Illegal? That Is the Question
Many experts believe that the Trump administration's attempt to prevent state-level AI regulation is likely legally indefensible. However, when a government repeatedly violates the law and the judiciary fails to take a stand, the "illegality" no longer serves as an effective deterrent.
About the author: Fateme Moradkhani covers technology, surveillance, and AI ethics for Borna News Agency, with a focus on global cyber power and digital militarization.
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