Two Futures of AI Regulation under the Trump Administration

13 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2025 Last revised: 31 Mar 2025

See all articles by Claudio Novelli

Claudio Novelli

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center

Akriti Gaur

Yale Law School; Yale Information Society Project

Luciano Floridi

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center; University of Bologna- Department of Legal Studies

Date Written: March 31, 2025

Abstract

This article examines potential regulatory pathways for AI in the United States following the Trump administration's 2025 revocation of the Biden-era AI Executive Order. We outline two competing governance scenarios: decentralized state-level regulation (with minimal federal oversight) and centralized federal dominance (through legislative pre-emption). We critically evaluate each model's policy implications, constitutional challenges, and practical trade-offs, particularly regarding innovation and state autonomy. We argue that AI's technological characteristics and context-dependent nature complicate achieving regulatory coherence amid competing federal and state interests. As a result, even under the Trump administration's broader deregulatory agenda, targeted federal intervention may remain necessary.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Federalism, Deregulation, Pre-emption, Trump Administration, AI regulation

Suggested Citation

Novelli, Claudio and Gaur, Akriti and Floridi, Luciano, Two Futures of AI Regulation under the Trump Administration (March 31, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5198926 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5198926

Claudio Novelli (Contact Author)

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center ( email )

85, Trumbull Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://dec.yale.edu

Akriti Gaur

Yale Law School ( email )

127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States

Yale Information Society Project ( email )

127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States

Luciano Floridi

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center ( email )

85 Trumbull Street
New Haven, CT CT 06511
United States
2034326473 (Phone)

University of Bologna- Department of Legal Studies ( email )

Via Zamboni 22
Bologna, Bo 40100
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/luciano.floridi/en

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