Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, along with 39 other attorneys general from both Republican and Democrat backgrounds, expressed opposition to a congressional move that would prevent states from enforcing laws related to artificial intelligence (AI). The proposed federal action could remove existing consumer protections against the misuse of AI.
Attorney General Jackson highlighted the growing presence of AI and the potential for its misuse. "We’re going to see AI everywhere in the next few years, and bad actors are going to intentionally misuse it to commit crimes and scam people," he stated. He emphasized that North Carolina has enacted legislation aimed at protecting citizens from AI-related threats. "The federal government shouldn’t stop states from working to keep people safe," he added.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced an amendment in the federal budget reconciliation bill that would place a 10-year moratorium on state enforcement of any AI-targeted laws or regulations. Earlier this year, Jackson took legal action against six major corporate landlords accused of using RealPage’s AI software to unlawfully increase rents in North Carolina, resulting in a settlement with one landlord by April.
The amendment could also impact North Carolina's ability to enforce its newly updated sex crime laws involving AI-generated material. These updates include creating new felony offenses for sexual extortion and aggravated sexual extortion and clarifying that revenge porn statutes cover AI-altered images depicting identifiable individuals. Other states have enacted similar laws addressing various aspects of AI regulation.
If passed, the U.S. House proposal would prevent such state-level regulations while failing to introduce new federal safeguards against AI risks.
Attorney General Jackson was joined by his counterparts from American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York,
North Dakota,
Ohio,
Oklahoma,
Oregon,
Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina,
South Dakota,
Tennessee,
Utah,
U.S.
Virgin Islands,
Vermont,
Virginia,
Washington
and Wisconsin
in signing a bipartisan letter addressed to Congress.
A copy of the letter is available for public access.