Trump’s budget bill strips AI protections

For years the US Congress had failed to develop any regulations around the development or use of artificial intelligence or AI. This past Montana legislative session Columbia Falls resident and House Representative Braxton Mitchell got HB 179 passed. This new law reflects Montana's commitment to fostering innovation and individual freedom in our digital age while simultaneously enacting safeguards to ensure responsible and ethical AI deployment, especially within government operations. A balanced and common-sense approach. 

But not one supported by Elon Musk and his assistant Donald Trump. Hidden deep inside Trump's "Big Beautiful Budget Bill" is a 10-year BAN on states protecting us from AI – wiping out the power for states and localities to pass protections against the many threats AI poses to consumers and our democracy. In recent years, over 20 states like Montana have stepped forward to protect voters from deceptive AI being used in our elections and others banning AI-based discrimination in healthcare and employment. 

But Trump's budget bill would erase all of these hard-fought protections and tie states’ hands for the next decade – just as the real-world harms of unregulated AI are exploding. This is the real legacy of Elon Musk stealing our information for his personal gain, as he owns and runs an artificial intelligence company called xAI. He launched xAI in March 2023 just before joining the Trump re-election effort. There are hundreds of things wrong with Trump's proposed budget, this is merely one. I'm asking our Congressional delegation to vote NO. 

Patrick Malone, Columbia Falls