US States Take the Lead as Federal AI Legislation Stalls in 2024
As the EU finalizes its comprehensive AI Act, the United States lacks a national framework and relies heavily on state-level action and regulatory rulemaking to address artificial intelligence governance.
Artificial intelligence policy remains a major focus in 2024 as lawmakers grapple with regulating rapidly advancing technology. While the European Union races ahead to finalize its AI Act, which imposes broad transparency requirements and bans high-risk AI applications, the United States struggles to pass a similar national framework. This legislative gap leaves American policymakers relying on alternative methods to govern AI development and deployment.
At the federal level, a non-legislative approach dominates the current strategy. Due to slim Congressional majorities and significant partisan divides, passing complex AI legislation proves highly difficult. Instead, the Biden administration drives policy through executive action, securing voluntary commitments from leading AI companies and utilizing regulatory agency rulemaking rather than pursuing comprehensive statutory solutions.
Because robust federal action remains unlikely, state legislatures and regulatory agencies step up to fill the governance vacuum. Following the pattern of previous data privacy and ESG debates, individual states introduce their own AI policy proposals to manage local risks. Tracking these varied state-level initiatives provides the clearest picture of the future trajectory for artificial intelligence regulation across the United States.