Bipartisan pair of senators acknowledge need for federal AI standard that accounts for state laws

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., attend the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on Thursday, February 9, 2023. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Todd Young, R-Ind., both acknowledged the need for a sweeping federal standard on artificial intelligence that offers uniform regulations — but also takes into account important state-level laws — while speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event on Wednesday.

“I favor coming up with a federal standard that's consistent with our constitutional responsibilities to facilitate interstate commerce, but I, as a practical matter, recognize that we may have to accommodate narrow areas of state concern, so an example might be the deepfake laws that a handful of states have,” Young told Nextgov/FCW during the event. 

Cantwell echoed his sentiment, saying a blanket rule that doesn’t recognize niche state laws is ...