Commerce Chief Lutnick Urges Pause on State AI Rules to Protect US Lead

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Biden administration supports a nationwide pause on state-level rules governing artificial intelligence, arguing that a moratorium is necessary to keep the United States "ahead of our adversaries" and preserve the country’s leadership in the technology. Lutnick added that a tax bill moving through Congress would establish a single federal standard for AI, replacing what he called a patchwork of state requirements that risks slowing commercial deployment and complicating compliance for companies. His comments came as Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark prepared to testify before the House Select Committee on China. In prepared remarks reported by Semafor, Clark is expected to tell lawmakers that the United States is on track to win the AI race against China but must still address security and safety challenges, including power capacity needed for advanced data centers.