Weekly Update: Week of May 19, 2025

U.S. lawmakers take on AI risks. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on May 22 with a controversial clause imposing a 10-year ban on state AI laws. Civil society groups immediately objected that this moratorium would “undermine vital state protections” in areas like healthcare and housing. Meanwhile, President Biden (in one of his final acts) signed the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act on May 19, criminalizing the distribution of AI-generated non-consensual explicit deepfakes and requiring swift removal of such content. These moves show federal recognition of AI dangers – but also sparked debate over who (federal vs. state) should regulate AI. (Elsewhere, Oman issued a national AI Ethics Policy on May 18 to promote principles like transparency and fairness in AI deployments.)