Dr Eric Horvitz, Microsoft’s chief scientist and a former technology adviser to Joe Biden, has publicly criticized Donald Trump’s proposal to implement a ten-year nationwide ban on US states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence. Despite Microsoft reportedly joining Google, Meta, and Amazon in lobbying to support such a moratorium, Horvitz contends that curtailing local regulatory efforts would impede both the scientific advancement and practical application of Artificial Intelligence. Speaking at a conference for the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Horvitz insisted that guidance, regulation, and reliability controls are not obstacles, but catalysts for responsible innovation.
The proposed ban, included in what Trump calls his ‘big beautiful bill’, would prohibit any US state from enacting laws or rules restricting or regulating artificial intelligence models, systems, or automated decision processes for a decade. Advocates of the ban, including influential tech investors like Marc Andreessen, suggest that state-level controls could hamper the US in its intensive technological rivalry with China, framing the issue as one of national competitiveness. Trump´s vice-president, JD Vance, echoed this sentiment, suggesting that regulatory pauses in the US could leave the country dangerously behind China in Artificial Intelligence advancement.
However, Horvitz is among those raising urgent concerns about the dangers of unregulated Artificial Intelligence growth, warning of its potential to fuel misinformation, enable inappropriate persuasion, and even facilitate malevolent activities in biological hazards. Speaking at the same event, University of California, Berkeley professor Stuart Russell highlighted existential risks, questioning why any technology with an admitted 10% to 30% risk of causing human extinction would be unleashed unchecked. This debate unfolds as Microsoft stands at the heart of the artificial intelligence conversation, having invested billions in OpenAI and sharing ambitions with industry giants like Meta, whose leadership is investing heavily toward superintelligence. Microsoft declined to comment further on its stance. The apparent contradiction between the company´s public advocacy and executive apprehension highlights the uncertainty and high stakes surrounding artificial intelligence governance in the US.
