Technology, Privacy and AI

Rules for artificial intelligence

103 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: AI is changing jobs, schools, health care and the information people see, and rules affect both the risks it poses and how quickly US companies can develop it.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

What rules, if any, should apply to companies that build and use artificial intelligence (AI), such as safety testing, labels on AI-made content and responsibility when AI causes harm.

  1. Require government testing or licenses for the most powerful AI systems before they are released
  2. Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures
  3. Rely mainly on existing laws, without new rules written for AI

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Require government testing or licenses for the most powerful AI systems before they are released (3)

  • John "Drew" Williams KY-1
    His campaign website proposes a Frontier AI Review Act requiring independent approval, including safety testing, before frontier AI models or major upgrades reach the public.1
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he supports safety testing standards for the most advanced AI models, liability and incident reporting rules, and an independent agency with enforcement power, like the FDA, for AI.2
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website says major AI models should get mandatory, independent safety reviews before they are released to the public, and that someone should be held accountable when AI causes harm.3

Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures (42)

  • Jonathan S. "JKT" Kreiss-Tomkins AK Governor
    His campaign website says he would hold AI companies liable in Alaska courts when their products cause harm, require a human decision-maker when state agencies use AI in decisions about Alaskans, and require disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads.4
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says she would push for federal guardrails against automation in high-risk fields such as health care, transportation, law and finance without safety review and human oversight, and would cosponsor a bill barring employers from relying only on automated systems for employment decisions.5
  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website calls for a middle-ground approach to AI rules: updating fraud laws, requiring watermarks on AI-generated content and banning sexually explicit deepfakes, while saying it is too early to require third-party testing of AI models.6
  • Randy Villegas CA-22
    His campaign website says he would pass legislation requiring age verification and parental consent for high-risk AI tools, requiring chatbots to screen for content related to unsafe behavior, and cracking down on AI-generated child sexual abuse material.7
  • Larry Thompson CA-32
    His campaign website proposes an American AI Bill of Rights that would encourage AI innovation unless there is a compelling public interest for targeted regulation, keep humans legally responsible for major decisions, require disclosure of AI-generated political ads and provide remedies against malicious deepfakes.8,9
  • Cristian Morales CA-43
    His campaign website's platform calls for criminalizing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, protecting workers and intellectual property from unlawful AI use, and barring government use of AI for unconstitutional surveillance or censorship, with safeguards that do not stifle innovation.10
  • Joe Krzeczkowski CO-7
    His campaign website says artificial intelligence needs smart and fast regulation, including restrictions on artificial content, protections for personal data and rules that make AI companies handle the technology with care, but should not be banned.11
  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says AI must not go unregulated, calls for laws protecting the economy, privacy, health, democracy and national security, and says she introduced the READ AI Models Act to create a standard information label for AI models.12
  • Michael J. Quirk FL-17
    His campaign website says he supports rules for AI that protect people without halting progress, such as privacy protection for what people tell a chatbot, consent before data is used for training, and disclosure whenever AI is used in campaign ads to fake events or voices.13
  • Maria Elvira Salazar FL-27
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments leading passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which it says protects victims of non-consensual intimate images and AI-generated deepfake pornography by holding online predators accountable while upholding free speech.14,15
  • Chris Harden GA-11
    His campaign website says he will fight to prohibit AI-driven surveillance pricing on essential goods such as groceries and to strengthen federal enforcement against corporate price gouging.16
  • Michael Bridgford IA-1
    His campaign website says he will vote for federal rules requiring tech platforms to label and fact-check AI-generated media, will push to prosecute malicious use of deepfakes, and will support requiring advance notice before companies deploy automation to replace staff.17
  • Lindsay James IA-2
    Her campaign website says AI companies should be held to safety standards and that online platforms and chatbots should be prohibited from impersonating licensed professionals.18
  • Angel Oakley IL-3
    Her policy page says she will work to establish a clear legal framework for AI that protects individual rights, promotes innovation and holds developers and users accountable for demonstrable harms, and to require transparency when AI is used in consequential decisions.19
  • Juliana Stratton IL Senate
    Her campaign's affordability blueprint says she would restrict the use of artificial intelligence in setting rents and screening rental applications.20
  • JB Pritzker IL Governor
    His campaign website lists enacting what it calls the strongest AI law in the nation, which requires developers to disclose risks, and setting up an Illinois AI Cabinet to put guardrails on the industry, among his accomplishments.21
  • Jamee Decio IN-2
    Her campaign website says she would advocate for a universal AI-generated watermark on all AI media and prevent corporations from using AI as the sole justification for mass layoffs without significant worker retraining and severance.22
  • Kelly Thompson IN-3
    Her campaign website says she would require meaningful human control over lethal military decisions and strong congressional oversight of military contracts involving artificial intelligence, and that artificial intelligence should never automatically deny someone health care, disability benefits, food assistance or retirement income without meaningful human review.23
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website says he would mandate transparency and independent audits for algorithmic and automated decisions and require disclosure of AI-generated content and political advertisements.24
  • Adam Hamilton KS Senate
    His campaign website says he supports the No Robot Bosses Act, which it says would require human review of decisions on hiring, firing and promotions instead of leaving them to AI alone.25
  • Zach Dembo KY-6
    His campaign website says he supports AI safeguards to protect children interacting with chat bots and to keep the newest models from posing major cybersecurity risks, and says companies should have to give notice before replacing employees with AI and pay into a fund to retrain workers who lose their jobs to it.26
  • "Jamie" Davis LA Senate
    His campaign website says AI should not be left unregulated and that he supports rules to protect privacy and stop AI scams and deepfakes.27
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says Congress should pass legislation and regulations so that AI is used in ways that are ethical, responsible and transparent, and says she will fight for laws that address deepfakes, political misinformation and AI-generated sexual abuse and harassment.28
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Key Issues page says AI poses threats to communities and that protecting people requires proprietary rights over their likeness, voice and intellectual creations.29
  • John Deaton MA Senate
    His campaign website says large AI companies should face disclosure requirements before their models pass high-risk thresholds, under a federal safety reporting framework.30
  • Stephen F. Lynch MA-8
    His campaign website says he introduced legislation to ban the use of deepfake audio, video and photos in U.S. elections.31
  • Zebulon Featherly MI-1
    His campaign website says he supports making it illegal to knowingly spread AI-generated media meant to deceive the public about real events, people or elections, labeling of AI-generated media, protections for creators whose work is used to train AI systems, and reasonable regulation of AI development.32
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website lists worker notice before AI is used in the workplace, restrictions on AI surveillance and automated discipline, penalties for AI impersonation and deepfake abuse, and legislation in the spirit of the NO FAKES Act.33
  • Scott Colom MS Senate
    His campaign website says people should be told when an automated system makes decisions about their money, health care or benefits, that a real person should answer for those decisions, and that prosecutors need tools to pursue AI-enabled scams and fake images.34,35
  • Michael A. Chiaradio MS-3
    His statement on artificial intelligence, linked from his Issues page, says he supports requiring disclosure of when AI is used, privacy protections, and human review of critical decisions.36
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Voter Contract page says he will support clear identification of AI-generated content, safeguards against deepfakes and abusive surveillance, and enforceable AI regulations, and his Issues page says he would at a minimum promote legislation requiring AI-generated material to be clearly labeled.37,38
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website lists pushing for federal standards that govern how AI surveillance tools, facial recognition and predictive policing are used.39
  • Winston Jordan NJ-12
    His campaign website says its AI policy would add enforceable protections for areas including deepfakes and digital likeness, privacy, children, creators, displaced workers and high-risk systems, and his policy platform website lists requiring companies to publish assessments of how new AI tools would affect workers before using them.40,41
  • Greggory D Hull NM Governor
    His campaign website says New Mexico's AI rules should be targeted at government use and clear consumer risks rather than broad mandates, with transparency standards when the state uses AI in decisions about benefits or services.42
  • Aaron D. Ford NV Governor
    His campaign website says he would bar health insurers from using artificial intelligence alone to deny prior authorization requests and ban landlords from using algorithms to set rents.43,44
  • Robert E Brooks Sr OK Governor
    His AI plan asks the Legislature for targeted rules on AI fraud and impersonation, disclosure of deceptive political media, privacy, and human review and appeals when AI affects benefits, jobs or housing.45
  • Annie Andrews SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she would regulate AI and facial recognition tools that can discriminate or be abused.46
  • Andrew Gerena TN Senate
    His campaign website says using AI to produce news and informational content about real people and events should be a felony.47
  • Jerri Green TN Governor
    Her platform calls for specific AI rules, including digital watermarks on AI content, a right to appeal to a human when AI denies someone a job, an apartment or medical care, and a ban on AI in bail, sentencing and parole decisions.48
  • Lauren Pinkston TN Governor
    Her campaign website supports the federal Take It Down Act and wants laws banning deepfakes that use someone's name, image or likeness without consent.49
  • Dave Seeman TN Governor
    His campaign website calls for extending Tennessee's ELVIS Act to all synthetic media and banning AI social scoring and surveillance.50
  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would protect workers from AI surveillance on the job, require transparency and human review of automated decisions about promotions, discipline and firing, and require AI companies to follow copyright law.51,52

Statements that don't match one option (58)

  • Doris Matsui CA-7
    Her campaign website says she is working to set strong federal guardrails on how AI is developed and used, and that she wrote a bill to ban harmful algorithmic practices, increase transparency about how online platforms amplify and moderate content, and investigate discriminatory AI systems.53
  • Mai Vang CA-7
    Her campaign website says she signed the AI Pact, which it says commits her to independent safety review before major new AI models are released, a right to sue when AI systems cause harm, and no taxpayer bailouts of AI companies.54
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says he would create a federal body to oversee AI safety, require the largest AI developers to publish safety frameworks and report critical incidents, and hold them to minimum safety standards checked by independent third parties, and says the disclosure rules should build on SB 53, a California law he wrote.55
  • Jamie Joyce CA-12
    Her campaign website says she wrote the AI section of the MAD Act, which would put some AI uses off-limits immediately, create a federal review of AI's effects in 19 areas that produces draft legislation, and pause new frontier AI training and data center construction if Congress misses its deadline to act.56,57,58
  • Kevin Lincoln CA-13
    His campaign website says he supports the President's AI Action Plan because it removes burdensome regulations, builds domestic AI infrastructure and puts American innovation and national security first.59
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says he would require third-party safety checks of AI systems, mandatory safety standards for high-risk AI, labels on AI-generated content, and human decision-makers for matters such as health claims, loans and law enforcement.60
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres CA-34
    Her campaign website calls for banning AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes and holding companies accountable, and opposes AI surveillance tools built for immigration enforcement.61,62
  • Ted W. Lieu CA-36
    His campaign website says he co-chaired the House's bipartisan task force on artificial intelligence and introduced legislation to create a national AI commission.63
  • Young Kim CA-40
    Her campaign website says she supports the President's AI Action Plan, which it says cuts unnecessary red tape and expands American AI infrastructure.64
  • Mike Levin CA-49
    His campaign website says the country can encourage innovation in artificial intelligence while setting guardrails to protect jobs, privacy and national security.65
  • John Hickenlooper CO Senate
    His campaign website says he supports regulating the artificial intelligence industry and has written legislation to prepare and protect workers as AI spreads.66
  • Melat Kiros CO-1
    Her platform calls for strong oversight to prevent AI-driven discrimination in housing, hiring, criminal justice and health care, a ban on government AI mass surveillance, and international agreements on shared AI safety standards.67
  • Jessica Killin CO-5
    Her campaign website says she supports clear guidelines, standards and rules for artificial intelligence that let the industry grow while providing oversight and protections for consumers and workers.68
  • Manny Rutinel CO-8
    His campaign website says large AI companies should have to report critical safety incidents and undergo independent safety reviews before major model releases, and calls for whistleblower protections, notice before AI-driven layoffs at large employers, age checks and parental controls on AI chatbots for minors, and safeguards such as labeling to keep bad actors from misusing AI.69
  • Luke Bronin CT-1
    His campaign website calls for a federal AI framework with clear standards for transparency and testing, more investment in the Center for AI Standards and Innovation to test models for safety, stronger export controls on advanced chips, and the GUARD Act to bar minors from AI chatbots.70
  • Amy Chai CT-1
    Her campaign website says the United States should lead the world in developing AI ethically and that some form of regulatory structure is needed.71
  • George Patrick Austin CT-2
    His home page says artificial intelligence needs serious guardrails so that new technology does not wipe out people's jobs and opportunities, and so that American workers, not only a few technology companies and foreign adversaries, benefit from it.72
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says she supports safety requirements for AI chatbots, clear notice that users are talking to a machine, and independent safety testing before AI products reach children.73
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for putting consumer AI protections into law, impact assessments before AI systems are deployed, labeling of AI-generated images and video at the source, and congressional subpoena power over AI companies.74
  • Gus Michael Bilirakis FL-12
    His campaign website says he passed the Take It Down Act, which it says gives law enforcement new tools against AI-generated child sexual abuse material.75,76
  • Laurel Lee FL-15
    Her campaign website says she is working, through her seat on the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, to balance innovation with transparency and to protect consumers and intellectual property.77
  • Mark Davis FL-16
    His policy platform calls for substantial federal oversight of artificial intelligence and for pausing the race to build artificial superintelligence until enforceable safeguards exist.78
  • Caitlyn Gegen GA-9
    Her campaign website says tech companies are not acting responsibly and that representatives should be prepared to take action, such as creating a federal AI regulatory commission and working with other international actors.79
  • Sarah Zabel ID-1
    Her campaign website says AI policy is the area it develops least, and that her goal is to capture AI's gains while building guardrails that keep the technology honest.80
  • Ellie Gilbreath ID-2
    Her policies page lists AI regulations to protect people, including the right to own and control your image, among her commitments.81
  • Donna Miller IL-2
    Her campaign website says the United States needs strong and thoughtful federal AI regulation, including strict regulation for the safety of kids and teens and export controls on advanced AI chips.82
  • Chris Getty IL-4
    His campaign website says he will support AI innovation and research while establishing practical safeguards against misuse.83
  • Melissa L. Bean IL-8
    Her campaign website says she will establish clear rules that protect rights and safety without hampering innovation.84
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says Congress must develop a policy framework that promotes American leadership in artificial intelligence and encourages responsible development to create good-paying jobs, protect the environment and keep kids safe.85
  • Drew Cox IN-4
    His campaign website says he will fight to prevent mass layoffs from automation so that advances in artificial intelligence assist humans rather than replace them.86
  • Katy Tyndell KS-4
    Her campaign website says she will bring both parties together to ensure the future of artificial intelligence is a job creator rather than a job killer, with protections for the workers and families it is supposed to benefit.87
  • Mikel Wein KY-5
    His campaign website lists legislation to strongly regulate artificial intelligence, including AI liability laws, improved whistleblower protections, parental controls and watermarks for AI content, among its longer-term actions.88
  • Jay J Bowman KY-6
    His campaign website says it proposes a Cabinet-level AI and Innovation position, confirmed by the Senate and accountable to Congress, to make sure AI augments workers rather than replacing them, establish congressional oversight of federal AI use and promote fair access for small businesses and communities.89
  • Lisa Ballay LA-2
    Her campaign website says she supports innovation and does not want regulation that smothers development, and also supports safeguards on privacy, transparency, cybersecurity and misuse by government or large corporations.90
  • Larry Davis III LA-6
    His campaign website's Policies page lists guardrails on artificial intelligence used by government and free-market innovation without heavy federal interference.91
  • Micah Quinney Jones MA-6
    His campaign website's security plan says to set clear national AI safety and transparency standards that protect Americans while maintaining U.S. leadership in innovation.92
  • Dan Schwartz MD-1
    His campaign website says he would pass a federal artificial intelligence law that leaves room for innovation while safeguarding user information, jobs and national security.93
  • Charlotte Magoon MI-2
    Her campaign website says the fast growth of artificial intelligence should be regulated so that residents and ratepayers are not left with its risks and costs while the profits go elsewhere.94
  • Tim Walberg MI-5
    His campaign website says he has led the Education and Workforce Committee's examination of artificial intelligence, sees a need for guardrails to protect Americans, and has introduced legislation to study AI's effects on the workforce so Congress has the data to legislate.95
  • William Lawrence MI-7
    His campaign website says AI and data center development need to be regulated and that the negative effects of AI and surveillance must be faced, while saying he does not have the answers.96
  • Matt Little MN-2
    His campaign website says he would require companies to build guardrails for AI, create public-interest safety oversight agencies and legal causes of action to hold companies accountable, and have the U.S. lead binding international agreements for a global AI safety regime.97
  • Tom Schmitz MO-1
    His campaign website says he believes artificial intelligence will very soon pose a substantial risk of harm, possibly on a catastrophic scale, and that addressing that risk is one of the few things the federal government should do.98
  • Jeffrey Hulum III MS-4
    His campaign website’s FAQ page says he supports regulating artificial intelligence.99
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says she wants AI rules that reduce catastrophic risk and protect civil liberties, privacy and workers, would hold AI companies legally responsible for harm to children, and would bar an algorithm from being the sole reason an insurer denies care.100
  • Sam Forstag MT-1
    His campaign website says he would create strict federal oversight and regulation of artificial intelligence companies, saying the technology could threaten the economy and humanity itself.101
  • Laurie Buckhout NC-1
    Her campaign Issues page says the U.S. needs to cut back regulations that she says hold back American innovation and use American energy to power the technology sector, so that the U.S. leads China in artificial intelligence.102
  • Colby Watson NC-8
    His campaign website's Data Centers & AI page says he would set clear, enforceable guardrails around AI and protect workers from AI-driven job displacement.103
  • Ashley Bell NC-10
    Her campaign website lists regulating artificial intelligence and data centers among her top issues and says Congress twice passed on the chance to write real rules for AI.104
  • Denise Powell NE-2
    Her campaign website says she wants more guardrails and regulation for artificial intelligence, balancing investment in new technology with protection of American jobs.105
  • Stefany Shaheen NH-1
    Her campaign website says AI should not make decisions that belong to doctors and nurses, and points to a planned Medicare program that would allow AI to deny coverage and care.106
  • Rachel Peace NJ-4
    Her campaign website says she supports consumer protection and new government oversight of artificial intelligence.107
  • Rebecca Bennett NJ-7
    Her one-pager on protecting families online says a company whose AI drives a child to self-harm should be fully liable in civil court for the harm it causes.108
  • Alan B. Bond NJ-11
    His campaign story on artificial intelligence says America should lead in AI while protecting consumers and preparing workers, that consumers should know when automated systems make important decisions, that personal information deserves reasonable protection, and that rules should protect people without freezing innovation.109
  • Andres Jinete NJ-12
    His campaign website calls for comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence.110
  • Teresa F. Benitez-Thompson NV-2
    Her campaign website says she would develop strong regulations to prevent mass job losses caused by artificial intelligence.111
  • Kasie Whitener SC Senate
    Her campaign blog says artificial intelligence should not simply be left to run its course and that recommendations from broad public forums on AI should be brought to lawmakers.112
  • Pat Dixon TX Governor
    His campaign website says risks from AI are best handled by market competition and by laws that give people recourse for harms, with lawmakers filling gaps in existing law, rather than starting with licenses and permits meant to prevent harm in advance.113,114
  • Amanda Janoo VT Governor
    Her campaign website says Vermont should set strong standards for AI, including independent testing, transparency, human oversight and audits, and should ban uses such as predictive policing, social scoring and emotion recognition.115