White House releases Trump's national AI plan and framework

The Trump administration's highly-anticipated recommendations for Congress on AI offer lawmakers a list of priorities rather than a concrete legislative plan. Why it matters: Though the framework marks a starting point from the White House, it will be incredibly hard for Congress to pass anything like it — even with Republicans in control.

Disagreements over AI policy go well beyond Republican vs. Democrat, and they overlap with broader tech policy debates that Congress has never been able to solve.

Friction point: The four-page framework calls on lawmakers to limit the ability of states to set their own rules for the technology, setting up a renewed clash with states and Congress over the future of AI regulation.

It's not tied to any specific bills and doesn't resolve longstanding issues around protecting kids and overriding state law.

What's inside: The framework says Congress should "preempt state AI laws that impose undue burdens to ensure a minimally burdensome national standard consistent with these recommendations, not fifty discordant ones." The proposal calls on Congress to:

Address the use of AI replicas that simulate someone's likeness or voice. Codify President Trump's pledge to require tech companies to pay for their increased energy demands. Establish "regulatory sandboxes" to allow developers to experiment with AI under relaxed rules.

It also focuses on kids' online safety: "AI services and platforms must take measures to protect children, while empowering parents to control their children's digital environment and upbringing," the framework states. Our thought bubble: It's a sign that this move is about the White House staking out a position and pointing to the framework as a demonstration it tried to set the rules of the road, rather than advancing a bill.

The White House's biggest efforts on AI policy are focused on squashing state efforts to regulate the technology.

Between the lines: The framework says the Trump administration "believes that training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws" and recommends against wading into the legal fights between artists and creators.

The White House wants the judiciary to ultimately decide what is and isn't legal around AI and copyright. But that won't be decided by a single case, and will have different implications depending on the copyright holder. The framework also appears to give AI developers cover for people using their products for unlawful uses, directing states not to legislate there. That has echoes of Big Tech's liability shield, Section 230, which protects platforms from being held responsible for what users post and remains controversial 30 years after passage.

House GOP leadership and key committee chairs said they "look forward to working across the aisle" on a national AI framework "that unleashes the full potential of AI, cements the U.S. as the global leader, and provides important protections for American families."

Meanwhile, dozens of House Democrats — including Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.), who are both active on AI issues — introduced a bill Friday that would repeal Trump's December executive order aimed at overriding state AI laws. There are plans for a companion bill in the Senate from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). "Until federal action ensures safe and responsible AI development, deployment, and use, states must retain the ability to implement policies to protect the American public," Beyer said in a release.

The bottom line: It will be difficult for congressional Republicans to square everything the White House wants in one bill that gets bipartisan support, but the administration has now set the contours of the legislative debate.

Republican infighting and bipartisan fractures are sure to come as lawmakers are left with the same issues under a renewed directive from the top.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.