White House

The White House has released a national AI policy framework that explicitly seeks to preempt most state AI laws while positioning children's online safety as the central justification for federal supremacy. The framework, mandated by December's Executive Order 14179, creates a DOJ AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state laws deemed inconsistent with federal policy and recommends barring states from regulating AI development entirely. While the order carves out "otherwise lawful State AI laws relating to child safety protections," children's advocates warn the combination of federal preemption and aggressive litigation could still weaken practical protections if courts interpret "child safety" narrowly. The timing is telling: the administration held separate meetings with children's advocates and tech industry representatives in the same week, suggesting an attempt to build political cover using child safety messaging while aligning with industry concerns over state-level compliance costs. For a sector already navigating a complex patchwork of state rules, the framework promises clarity at the cost of local flexibility.

Susie Wiles met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Friday in damage control mode. The White House Chief of Staff and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the talks "productive" as they try to separate Pentagon disputes from broader government access to the company's Mythos AI model. Agencies including Treasury and CISA are testing Mythos for cybersecurity after the Trump administration labeled Anthropic a "supply chain risk" weeks ago. The reversal shows how AI capabilities can override political hostility when agencies face technological gaps versus China.