Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Policy and advocacy nonprofits have rallied thousands of people across the country to oppose a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI laws and legislation, according to an announcement shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: As of Wednesday morning, more than 25,000 petitions have been signed by people across the country opposing the ban, which lawmakers are debating on Capitol Hill.
- Americans for Responsible Innovation, Accountable Tech, and Public Citizen organized the effort.
What they're saying: "It is critical that states retain the ability to address the rise of online harms and the impacts of AI on our communities," the petition states.
- "In an increasingly fraught digital environment, young people are facing new threats online, seniors are targeted by the emergence of AI-generated scams, and workers and creators face new challenges in an AI-integrated economy."
- "Over the next decade, AI will raise some of the most important public policy questions of our time. Now is not the time for a moratorium on AI policymaking."
The bottom line: Polling shows Americans are worried the government won't go far enough in regulating AI.
- Hill GOP lawmakers' move to attach the AI policy provision to the reconciliation bill is on a collision course with procedural hurdles and pushback from the public.
