The outlook for artificial intelligence regulation is uncertain as the U.S. government shifts to full Republican control

WASHINGTON – With artificial intelligence at the highest level key moment development, the federal government will soon transition from a government that prioritized AI safeguards to one that is more focused on eliminating bureaucracy.

This is a promising prospect for some investors, but creates uncertainty about the future of any protective barriers to this technology, especially regarding the use Artificial intelligence deepfakes in elections AND political campaigns.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to do so cancel President Joe Biden’s decisive executive order on artificial intelligence that aimed to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling it innovation. He didn’t specify what he would do in his place, but the Republican National Committee platform he represents recently transformedstated that the development of artificial intelligence should be “rooted in free speech and human flourishing.”

It remains an open question whether Congress, which will soon be fully controlled by Republicans, will be interested in passing any AI-related legislation. Interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers and industry experts show there is still interest in improving the technology application in national security and cracking in nonsensical, clear images.

But the use of AI in elections and spreading disinformation will likely fade into the background as GOP lawmakers turn away from anything they see as potentially stifling innovation or free speech.

“Artificial intelligence has incredible potential to increase human productivity and bring positive benefits to our economy,” said Rep. Jay Obernolte, a California Republican widely seen as a leader in the emerging technology. “We need to strike the right balance between putting in place a framework that prevents harmful events while enabling innovation.”

Artificial intelligence interests have awaited broad federal legislation for years. But Congress, blocked on almost every issueit has not adopted any law on artificial intelligence, instead only presenting a series of proposals and reports.

Some lawmakers believe there is enough bipartisan interest in some AI-related issues for the bill to pass.

“I think there are Republicans who are very interested in this topic,” said Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, pointing to national security as one area of ​​a potential agreement. “I am sure I will be able to work with them as I have done in the past.”

It’s still unclear how much Republicans want the federal government to intervene in AI development. Few showed interest ahead of this year’s election in regulating how the Federal Election Commission or Federal Communications Commission handles AI-generated content, fearing it would raise First Amendment issues at the same time as the Trump campaign and others Republicans used the technology to create political memes.

When Trump won the presidency, the FCC was in the middle of a long process of developing AI-related regulations. This work has since been halted under long-established change-of-administration rules.

Trump has expressed both interest and skepticism about artificial intelligence.

In an interview with Fox Business earlier this year, he called the technology “so dangerous” and “so scary” because “there is no real solution.” But his campaign and supporters have also embraced AI-generated images more than their Democratic opponents. They were often used in social media posts intended not to mislead, but rather to further reinforce Republican political views.

Elon Musk, a close advisor to Trump and founder of several AI-based companies, has also shown both concern and excitement about the technology, depending on how it is applied.

Musk used the social media platform X, which he owns, to do this promote images and videos generated by artificial intelligence throughout the election. Employees of Americans for Responsible Innovation, a nonprofit organization focused on artificial intelligence, are publicly urging Trump to choose Musk as his top adviser on the technology.

“We believe that Elon has a fairly sophisticated understanding of both the opportunities and risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence systems,” said Doug Calidas, a top fellow at the group.

But Musk advising Trump on artificial intelligence worries others. Peters argued that it could undermine the president.

“It’s disturbing,” the Michigan Democrat said. “Whenever you have someone who has a particular financial interest in a particular technology, you should take their advice and advice with a grain of salt.”

In before the electionsmany artificial intelligence experts have expressed concerns about an eleventh-hour deepfake – a realistic image, video or audio clip resembling artificial intelligence – that would influence or confuse voters as they head to the polls. While those fears never came true, artificial intelligence still played a role in the election, said Vivian Schiller, executive director of Aspen Digital, part of the nonpartisan Aspen Institute think tank.

“I wouldn’t use the term that a lot of people use, which is ‘the dog that didn’t bark,’” she said of artificial intelligence in the 2024 election. “It was there, just not in the way we expected.”

Campaigns used artificial intelligence in algorithms to target messages to voters. The AI-generated memes, while not realistic enough to be mistaken for the real thing, seemed real enough to deepen partisan divisions.

A political consultant imitated Joe Biden’s voice automatic connections it could discourage voters from coming to the polls during the New Hampshire primary if they weren’t caught quickly. And foreign actors AI tools used to create and automate fake online profiles and websites that spread disinformation to U.S. audiences.

Even if AI did not ultimately influence the outcome of the election, the technology entered the political arena and contributed to an environment in which American voters don’t feel confident that what they see is true. This dynamic is one reason why some in the AI ​​industry want regulations to set guidelines.

“President Trump and his team have stated that they don’t want to stifle this technology and they actually want to support its development, so that’s good news,” said Craig Albright, chief lobbyist and senior vice president at Software Alliancean industry group whose members include OpenAI, Oracle and IBM. “We believe that passing national legislation establishing traffic rules will benefit the emerging markets for this technology.”

AI safety advocates during: last meeting Similar arguments have been made in San Francisco, according to Suresh Venkatasubramanian, director of the Center for Technology Accountability at Brown University.

“By creating literal guardrails and lanes and road rules, we were able to get cars that could roll much faster,” said Venkatasubramanian, a former Biden administration official who helped develop White House policies on its approach to artificial intelligence.

Rob Weissman, co-chair of the advocacy group Public Citizen, said he is not hopeful about the prospects for federal legislation and is concerned about Trump’s promise to rescind Biden’s executive order that created the initial set of national standards for the industry. His group has advocated for federal regulation of generative AI in elections.

“Securities themselves are a way to promote innovation, ensuring that AI is useful and safe, does not exclude humans, and promotes the technology in a way that serves the public interest,” he said.

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