Key facts
- Maryland Governor Wes Moore called for federal guardrails to address AI risks.
- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker echoed concerns about AI threats and the need for national and international efforts.
- Both governors criticized President Donald Trump's approach to AI regulation.
- Trump has publicly rejected warnings about AI threats, calling them a 'hoax'.
- Trump announced he is forming an AI task force and naming an AI czar.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore asserted that states cannot confront the risks of artificial intelligence independently and urged for federal guardrails. He criticized the federal administration's stance, stating, “We need a federal administration who is both going to say more than just it’s a ‘hoax,’ and we need a Congress who’s going to actually put a check on that federal administration who’s simply saying it’s a ‘hoax.’
Moore announced that Maryland will convene an AI summit with industry and labor leaders in the coming weeks. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared similar concerns, noting that while his state has implemented stringent AI security measures, including audits and contingency plans, these efforts are insufficient on their own. "My great concern, though, is you can’t do this state by state,” Pritzker said. “This needs to be a national effort as well as an international endeavor, especially together with our allies, because AI is not going to go away.”
Both Democratic governors criticized President Donald Trump's hands-off approach to AI regulation. Trump has publicly dismissed warnings about AI threats as a "hoax" and a "sick conspiracy," arguing that slowing development could cede ground to China. Trump also stated on Saturday that he was forming an AI task force and naming an AI czar to lead it, a move Moore described as "AI farce."
Moore stated, “Governors around the country have been sounding the alarm, particularly when you have a president of the United States who now says the way he’s dealing with it is putting together an AI force, but it has no specific responsibility and guardrails, so it’s not an AI force. It’s ‘AI farce.’
Moore and Pritzker are among several state leaders who have pushed back against Trump's approach to AI regulation, aligning with warnings from AI executives like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Elon Musk, who have called for a slowdown in AI development to implement necessary safeguards.