BlogLine

The Trump administration unveils national Artificial Intelligence framework

3/30/26

By: Jacob Berlinger and Michael Brown

On March 20, 2026, the Trump administration announced its Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) national legislative framework. This marks the first comprehensive federal blueprint for U.S. AI legislation after several years of fragmented efforts across agencies, states, and party lines. The framework finally answers questions that business leaders have long been asking: who regulates AI, which rules apply nationally, and how far are state law proposals allowed to go.

The framework names six key objectives:

1. Protecting Children and Empowering Parents
   This objective focuses age-based privacy regulations and reducing risks to minors. The administration wants states to enforce their own child protection laws in parallel with the federal government.
2. Safeguarding and Strengthening American Communities
   The administration recommends Congress ensure consumers don’t bear the cost of powering data centers, and also streamline permits so that data centers can produce their own energy and improve grid reliability.
3. Respecting Intellectual Property Rights and Supporting Creators
   While the administration believes that the “training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws,” it also wants to leave this question to the courts. The framework suggests Congress consider systems that let creators negotiate compensation from AI companies and create protections against unauthorized AI-generated replicas of people’s voices or likenesses, with safeguards for free expression.
4. Preventing Censorship and Protecting Free Speech
   This objective recommends banning government pressure on techcompanies to suppress content based on “partisan or ideological agendas.”
5. Enabling Innovation and Ensuring American AI Dominance
   The administration recommends reducing barriers, speeding up AI adoption, and expanding access to testing environments. It suggests creating regulatory sandboxes, improving access to federal datasets for AI training, and supporting innovation through existing agencies rather than new regulators.
6. Educating Americans and Developing an AI-Ready Workforce
   This objective emphasizes job creation, skills training, and incorporating AI training. The administration suggests that Congress should bolster capabilities at “land-grant institutions to provide technical assistance, launch demonstration projects, and develop AI youth development programs.”

Impact on businesses

The administration’s framework serves another long-stated goal: establishing a federal regulatory framework and preempting patchwork state AI laws, while carving out space for states on child safety, fraud, and general consumer protection. The framework favors using existing regulators (FTC, SEC, FDA, etc.) over a new AI agency, so most companies will see AI obligations emerge as extensions of familiar industry rules, not a single omnibus “AI regulator.” For business leaders, this means preparing for more consistent national rules. But leaders should also expect new rulemaking and enforcement within your current sector’s jurisdictions.

To stay up to date on AI, cybersecurity, data privacy, emerging technology, news, and legislation, follow Freeman Mathis & Gary on LinkedIn. For more information on this topic contact Jacob Berlinger at jacob.berlinger@fmglaw.com, Michael Brown at michael.brown@fmglaw.com or your local FMG attorney.

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