On September 29, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (“TFAIA”), establishing public safety regulations for developers of “frontier models,” or large foundation AI models trained using massive amounts of computing power. TFAIA is the first frontier model safety legislation in the country to
Continue Reading California Governor Signs Landmark AI Safety Legislation
August Gweon
August Gweon counsels national and multinational companies on new regulatory frameworks governing artificial intelligence, robotics, and other emerging technologies, digital services, and digital infrastructure. August leverages his AI and technology policy experiences to help clients understand AI industry developments, emerging risks, and policy and enforcement trends. He regularly advises clients on AI governance, risk management, and compliance under data privacy, consumer protection, safety, procurement, and platform laws.
August’s practice includes providing comprehensive advice on U.S. state and federal AI policies and legislation, including the Colorado AI Act and state laws regulating automated decision-making technologies, AI-generated content, generative AI systems and chatbots, and foundation models. He also assists clients in assessing risks and compliance under federal and state privacy laws like the California Privacy Rights Act, responding to government inquiries and investigations, and engaging in AI public policy advocacy and rulemaking.
Senator Cruz Unveils AI Framework and Regulatory Sandbox Bill
On September 10, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) released what he called a “light-touch” regulatory framework for federal AI legislation, outlining five pillars for advancing American AI leadership. In parallel, Senator Cruz introduced the Strengthening AI Normalization and Diffusion by Oversight and eXperimentation (“SANDBOX”) Act (S. 2750), which…
Continue Reading Senator Cruz Unveils AI Framework and Regulatory Sandbox BillCalifornia Lawmakers Advance Suite of AI Bills
As the California Legislature’s 2025 session draws to a close, lawmakers have advanced over a dozen AI bills to the final stages of the legislative process, setting the stage for a potential showdown with Governor Gavin Newsom (D). The AI bills, some of which have already passed both chambers, reflect recent trends in state AI…
Continue Reading California Lawmakers Advance Suite of AI BillsU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year Update
This update highlights key mid-year legislative and regulatory developments and builds on our first quarter update related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), Internet of Things (“IoT”), and cryptocurrencies and blockchain developments.
I. Federal AI Legislative Developments
In the first session of the 119th Congress, lawmakers rejected a proposed moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws and advanced several AI legislative proposals focused on deepfake-related harms. Specifically, on July 1, after weeks of negotiations, the Senate voted 99-1 to strike a proposed 10-year moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws from the budget reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which President Trump signed into law. The vote to strike the moratorium follows the collapse of an agreement on revised language that would have shortened the moratorium to 5 years and allowed states to enforce “generally applicable laws,” including child online safety, digital replica, and CSAM laws, that do not have an “undue or disproportionate effect” on AI. Congress could technically still consider the moratorium during this session, but the chances of that happening are low based on both the political atmosphere and the lack of a must-pass legislative vehicle in which it could be included. See our blog post on this topic for more information.
Additionally, lawmakers continue to focus legislation on deepfakes and intimate imagery. For example, on May 19, President Trump signed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (“TAKE IT DOWN”) Act (H.R. 633 / S. 146) into law, which requires online platforms to establish a notice and takedown process for nonconsensual intimate visual depictions, including certain depictions created using AI. See our blog post on this topic for more information. Meanwhile, members of Congress continued to pursue additional legislation to address deepfake-related harms, such as the STOP CSAM Act of 2025 (S. 1829 / H.R. 3921) and the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images And Non-Consensual Edits (“DEFIANCE”) Act (H.R. 3562 / S. 1837).Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year Update
Trump Administration Issues AI Action Plan and Series of AI Executive Orders
On July 23, the White House released its AI Action Plan, outlining the key priorities of the Trump Administration’s AI policy agenda. In parallel, President Trump signed three AI executive orders directing the Executive Branch to implement the AI Action Plan’s policies on “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government,” “Accelerating Federal Permitting of…
Continue Reading Trump Administration Issues AI Action Plan and Series of AI Executive OrdersTexas Enacts AI Consumer Protection Law
On June 22, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (“TRAIGA”) (HB 149) into law. The law, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, makes Texas the second state to enact comprehensive AI consumer protection legislation, following the 2024 enactment of the Colorado AI Act. Unlike the…
Continue Reading Texas Enacts AI Consumer Protection LawCalifornia Frontier AI Working Group Issues Final Report on Frontier Model Regulation
On June 17, the Joint California Policy Working Group on AI Frontier Models (“Working Group”) issued its final report on frontier AI policy, following public feedback on the draft version of the report released in March. The report describes “frontier models” as the “most capable” subset of foundation models, or a class of general-purpose technologies…
Continue Reading California Frontier AI Working Group Issues Final Report on Frontier Model RegulationNew York Legislature Passes Sweeping AI Safety Legislation
On June 12, the New York legislature passed the Responsible AI Safety & Education (“RAISE”) Act (S 6953), a frontier model public safety bill that would establish safeguard, reporting, disclosure, and other requirements for large developers of frontier AI models. If signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul (D), the RAISE Act would…
Continue Reading New York Legislature Passes Sweeping AI Safety LegislationState Legislatures Advance Surveillance Pricing Regulations
This year, state lawmakers have introduced over a dozen bills to regulate “surveillance,” “personalized,” or “dynamic” pricing. Although many of these proposals have failed as 2025 state legislative sessions come to a close, lawmakers in New York, California, and a handful of other states are moving forward with a range of different approaches. These proposals…
Continue Reading State Legislatures Advance Surveillance Pricing RegulationsHouse Republicans Push for 10-Year Moratorium on State AI Laws
House Republicans have passed through committee a nationwide, 10-year moratorium on the enforcement of state and local laws and regulations that impose requirements on AI and automated decision systems. The moratorium, which would not apply to laws that promote AI adoption, highlights the widening gap between a wave of new state AI laws and the…
Continue Reading House Republicans Push for 10-Year Moratorium on State AI Laws