Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei broke ranks with much of Silicon Valley today, publishing a New York Times opinion piece that calls a Republican proposal to ban state artificial intelligence regulations for a decade "too blunt."
Amodei's public opposition places his company at odds with the Trump administration, which has made the AI moratorium a centerpiece of its "One Big Beautiful Bill" — the budget reconciliation measure that narrowly passed the House in May and now faces Senate consideration.
Rather than prohibiting state action entirely, Amodei argues for federal transparency standards that would require AI developers to publicly disclose testing protocols and risk mitigation strategies.12 "A 10-year moratorium is far too blunt an instrument. AI is advancing too head-spinningly fast," he wrote.2 "Without a clear plan for a federal response, a moratorium would give us the worst of both worlds - no ability for states to act, and no national policy as a backstop."2
Anthropic already releases such information voluntarily, as do competitors OpenAI and Google DeepMind, Amodei noted.12 But he warned that corporate incentives for transparency could diminish as AI models become more powerful.2
Amodei's stance aligns with mounting opposition from state officials. More than 260 state legislators from all 50 states sent a letter to Congress this week opposing the moratorium, arguing it would strip their ability to address "fast-evolving AI threats."1 The bipartisan coalition includes South Carolina Republican Brandon Guffey and South Dakota Democrat Liz Larson.1
The proposed ban would preempt over 1,000 active AI-related bills and dozens of laws already enacted, affecting regulations on algorithmic bias, deepfakes, and automated decision-making in healthcare and employment.23 Even Republican senators have voiced opposition, with Josh Hawley calling the provision "constitutional kryptonite."2
Anthropic's lobbying efforts have irritated Trump administration officials, who view the company as an obstacle to clearing regulatory barriers for AI development.1 At a recent White House meeting, officials criticized Anthropic's hiring of former Biden administration staffers and Amodei's prediction that AI would eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.1
The moratorium faces procedural hurdles in the Senate, where it could be challenged under budget reconciliation rules.2 As the debate intensifies, the outcome will determine whether states retain authority to regulate emerging AI applications or whether the federal government assumes exclusive control over the technology's governance.3
