David Sacks defends Trump’s executive order on artificial intelligence

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Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks defended the administration’s executive order on artificial intelligence, saying the US risks losing its lead over China unless it adopts a unified national regulatory framework.

Speaking on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” this morning, he said the US is ahead in the AI race, but China remains highly competitive, and American innovators could fall behind if forced to comply with a patchwork of conflicting AI rules emerging across all 50 states.

“If you have to report to 50 different state regulators at 50 different times with 50 different definitions, it’s extremely onerous. And it’s going to slow down innovation, and it’s going to hinder our progress in the AI race,” Sacks emphasized.

“So if we want to stay in the lead, as President Trump has declared, we need to have a single national standard, one standard for AI, so that the most onerous states, the most draconian ones, can’t hold you up,” he said. “We want to work with Congress on this.”

Until a national standard is in place, Sacks said the administration is prepared to push back against what it sees as excessively restrictive state regulations.

Trump on Thursday signed a new executive order, titled “Ensuring National Policy for Artificial Intelligence,” to counter state AI laws that alter truthful model outputs, restrict innovation, or interfere with interstate commerce, while advancing a unified national AI policy.

The order is facing bipartisan blowback, as critics warn it amplifies threats from AI chatbots, surveillance tools, and systemic bias. Alarm is rising even among some conservative voices.