Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general in opposing a proposed amendment to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget reconciliation bill. The amendment would prohibit states from enforcing any laws or regulations related to artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems for the next 10 years.
The attorneys general argue that the proposed moratorium would strip states of their ability to protect residents from risks associated with rapidly advancing AI technologies, including election interference, privacy violations, and consumer scams. The letter to Congress emphasizes that state-level laws and regulations have been developed through extensive input from stakeholders and are necessary to address emerging and unforeseen AI-related issues.
In their letter, the coalition states that without a federal regulatory framework to replace state protections, the amendment would leave AI use largely unregulated and expose the public to significant risks.
Attorney General Brown said Maryland must retain its ability to respond to the evolving challenges posed by AI, particularly in the absence of federal safeguards.
Brown joins attorneys general from 39 other jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, California, and the District of Columbia, in urging Congress to reject the AI enforcement ban in the proposed budget bill.
