AI talks draw backlash from Mass. state lawmakers
Top state legislators in Massachusetts are warning Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) against working with Republicans on legislation that would preempt state AI laws.
In a letter sent on Thursday and obtained by POLITICO, Massachusetts state Sen. Michael O. Moore and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, both Democrats, wrote to express their concern over reports that Trahan is working with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) on his yet-to-be-released AI bill. The legislation is widely expected to block state AI laws and replace them with an undefined federal framework — an effort backed by the tech lobby but opposed by state legislators across the country.
Moore and Farley-Bouvier wrote that states like Massachusetts “are moving to protect their residents from the clear harms that have emerged from the unchecked deployment of artificial intelligence into virtually every sector of society.” They accused the AI industry of “turn[ing] to federal officials seeking to shield themselves from the reasonable measures being passed by the states.”
The missive comes as both political parties grapple with how to respond to rising voter concerns over the technology ahead of the 2026 midterm and 2028 presidential election cycles. Trahan is a member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is tasked with overseeing the technology sector, and has at times been a vocal critic of big tech.
“We ask that you not enable this gambit by the artificial intelligence industry,” wrote Moore and Farley-Bouvier, who together chair their state’s Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity.
Among other concerns, the state legislators warned that federal preemption of AI laws could undermine efforts to protect data privacy. They also worried that agencies like the Federal Trade Commission could fail to adequately enforce the law while under the leadership of Trump administration officials.
“We respectfully request that you allow states to continue to protect their residents and keep up with the deployment of artificial intelligence in a way that reflects the unique values of their communities,” the lawmakers wrote, before also requesting a meeting with Trahan.
The letter was sent just hours after Punchbowl News reported that talks between Trahan and Obernolte on AI preemption were taking place. In a brief interview with POLITICO on Thursday, Trahan confirmed that she is negotiating with Obernolte over his AI bill.
“We’re definitely talking about how we would make this bipartisan,” she said. Trahan added that she and Obernolte are “not going to do anything that preempts state laws where we need states to act.”
A spokesperson for Trahan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter from Moore and Farley-Bouvier.
Obernolte has spent weeks searching for a Democratic counterpart to co-sponsor his AI bill. Last week, Rep. Sam Liccardo (Calif.), a moderate Democrat, broke off negotiations with Obernolte and said he would not back his legislation. Liccardo suggested that the primary roadblock was Obernolte’s approach to preempting state legislation.
