American and Texas state flags flying on the dome of the Texas State Capitol building in Austin
A coalition of more than 20 non-partisan policy organizations recently sent a joint letter to Texas lawmakers expressing concerns about the “Texas Responsible AI Governance Act” (TRAIGA), draft legislation introduced in November that seeks to regulate businesses operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) space.
“Though well-intentioned, this draft bill imposes restrictive regulations and burdensome compliance costs that risk stifling Texas’s thriving artificial intelligence (AI) sector,” noted the coalition letter. “Texas has a unique opportunity to be a leader in AI innovation, but TRAIGA’s approach threatens to undermine that potential. It would also be detrimental as a policy framework for other states or the federal government.”
The coalition letter went on to warn Texas lawmakers that when legislation similar to TRAIGA was enacted in Colorado, a state where Democrats have full control of state government, “Gov. Jared Polis immediately expressed concerns, urging Congress to adopt a federal standard to avoid conflicting state regulations.”
The legislator who introduced TRAIGA said he wants to make Texas a hub for AI innovation and development. Yet, as the aforementioned coalition letter warned Lone Star State lawmakers, “TRAIGA risks making Texas an unwelcoming place for open-source projects, which are foundational to AI innovation.” The coalition letter goes on to explain that “TRAIGA’s compliance mandates risk expanding bureaucratic layers, adding unnecessary costs without enhancing genuine innovation.”
“Rather than impose a costly new regulatory regime that will stifle innovation and competition in the AI space, Texas lawmakers should look to Utah with its light-touch AI framework,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a signatory to the coalition letter. “While both Texas and Utah have reputations as conservative red states, the introduction of TRAIGA once again demonstrates, surprisingly, how Utah often does a much better job of governing in a way that is consistent with its conservative reputation.”
