Arkansas GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has urged Congress to remove a provision in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that would ban state-level artificial intelligence protections for 10 years.
Writing in an opinion essay for The Washington Post on Thursday, Sanders reaffirmed her conservative credentials and praised Trump's efforts on the border and the economy. Yet, she broke with the White House over the issue of AI regulations and pointed to state-led efforts to rein in the burgeoning technology's misuse.
"AI can be a great tool for individuals, businesses and governments, but there have to be commonsense safeguards in place," Sanders wrote. "In Arkansas, our legislature created basic copyright guidelines for generative AI, protected Arkansans from the nonconsensual use of their likenesses and, most importantly, prohibited the creation of sexually explicit AI images of real people — especially children."
Sanders, who spent two years as Trump's press secretary during his first administration, warned of the "glacial movement" Congress has had in protecting children from social media and said members would likely be "paralyzed" to act in the face of AI lobbying groups. The bill's AI provision has divided Republicans with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, among those arguing the language is needed to encourage innovation.
Sanders continued: "AI is already deeply entrenched in American industry and society. Over the next decade, this novel technology will change in ways we can't even begin to predict. It is expected to drastically alter whole industries, jobs and ways of life and rebuild how we as a people function in profound and fundamental ways.
"Americans are at risk from bad actors in the AI industry until lawmakers are allowed to establish basic rules and fairness — and 10 years is too long to wait."
Sanders took issue with Congress abandoning the concept of federalism in the provision and pointed to her own state's efforts in tackling Communist China encroaching on land and businesses in Arkansas. The governor praised the efforts of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., for being vocal opponents of the provision in the bill yet urged more senators to speak out.
"This bill will be one of President Trump's proudest legislative achievements. It will power his vision of American greatness. But it should not include a provision that takes away states' ability to protect its citizens. Congress should continue to allow states to function as the laboratories of democracy they were intended to be," Sanders concluded.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.