The United States is struggling to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), with both state and federal efforts facing significant setbacks. While some progress has been made, such as Tennessee becoming the first state to protect voice artists from unauthorized AI cloning, and California adopting a tiered, risk-based approach to AI policy, the country still lacks a comprehensive federal AI policy comparable to the EU's AI Act.

Recent examples of the challenges include California Governor Gavin Newsom's veto of a bill that would have imposed wide-ranging safety and transparency requirements on AI companies, and the staying of another bill targeting AI deepfakes on social media. Despite these setbacks, experts like Jessica Newman, co-director of the AI Policy Hub at UC Berkeley, remain optimistic, pointing to existing federal bills that apply to AI, such as anti-discrimination and consumer protection legislation.

The Federal Trade Commission has taken some steps, forcing companies to delete AI models and investigating potential antitrust violations. The Federal Communications Commission has also declared AI-voiced robocalls illegal and is considering rules for disclosing AI-generated content in political advertising. However, the lack of a unified federal approach has sparked concerns among experts and industry leaders, with Anthropic warning of AI catastrophe if governments don't implement regulation within the next 18 months.

As the debate continues, the pressure to unify the growing state-by-state patchwork of AI rules is likely to increase, potentially leading to a stronger legislative solution. With close to 700 pieces of AI legislation introduced this year alone, the need for a comprehensive federal AI policy becomes increasingly urgent.