Data Innovation

Without federal preemption on AI regulations, states are rushing to impose audits, transparency mandates, and sector-specific obligations—often with overlapping or conflicting rules that extend beyond state borders.

Europe’s pursuit of digital sovereignty rests on a flawed premise: that competing with the United States, rather than China, should be the central priority. To advance this goal, Brussels has embraced the so-called “Airbus model”—the belief that the government-led coordination that created an aerospace champion can be replicated to achieve dominance in semiconductors, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). The idea is seductive and gaining traction, but the analogy is unproven and misguided.

The United States plans to win the AI race by “exporting its full AI technology stack—hardware, models, software, applications, and standards—to all countries willing to join America’s AI alliance.” To succeed, it will need to pursue the right partners, make offers that meet their ambitions, and resist the urge to lead with virtue over value.

As artificial intelligence upends the creative landscape, history offers a clear lesson: fighting change only delays progress, but those who adapt to it thrive. Creators must do the same with AI.

The European Commission’s DMA action against Meta reveals a strategy of using data protection law principles to stretch competition rules beyond their intended scope—ultimately setting a compliance bar no gatekeeper can meet, infantilizing users, and selectively targeting successful integrated American platforms.

Philadelphia’s recent trash crisis highlights the need for a smarter approach to city services—one that uses low-cost AI tools to improve sanitation, reduce costs, and free up resources to better support the city’s workers.

The AI Action Plan signals that the United States is not only committed to pushing the boundaries of what AI can do but also ready to shape how it is built, deployed, and governed globally.

President Trump has rightly emphasized that AI should be allowed to learn like humans do, and unless the UK adopts a commonsense approach to AI training and copyright, it risks falling behind China in the global AI race.

The Trump administration should maintain export controls where they clearly advance national security. But it should also ensure that U.S. companies can compete globally, reinvest in innovation, and remain central to the technologies that will shape the future.

Congress’ decision to reject a federal moratorium on state-level AI regulation is a missed opportunity. Without a pause, the United States continues to face a patchwork of state laws that confuses consumers, burdens businesses, and slows innovation.