Cornhusker State News

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and several Senate colleagues have urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to implement regulations aimed at maintaining the United States’ lead in artificial intelligence (AI). In a letter sent today, the senators advocated for rules that would foster an environment conducive to American innovation while restricting access to advanced technology by foreign adversaries.

The letter emphasized the need for balanced regulation: “We can only win the AI race with Communist China if we are wisely limiting our foreign adversary’s opportunities to develop frontier AI and enabling American companies to compete quickly in the global marketplace. Both prongs are important and the balance between them are crucial. America is winning the AI race, but the competition has been hard fought and will continue to be. Steps must be taken quickly since investments happening now will create the world’s tech ecosystem for decades to come.”

This correspondence follows an earlier appeal from Ricketts in April, which called on Secretary Lutnick to rescind what they described as restrictive policies under President Biden known as the AI Diffusion Rule. According to its critics, this rule imposed limitations on U.S. allies’ access to American technology, potentially hindering innovation and international cooperation. The Trump administration officially rescinded this rule on May 7.

Senators Kevin Cramer (ND), John Kennedy (LA), James Lankford (OK), and Rick Scott (FL) also signed today’s letter.

In their message, the senators highlighted actions taken under President Trump’s leadership, stating: “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is shaping emerging technologies globally and positioned as the world capital of artificial intelligence (AI). The President’s cabinet is unshackling American energy, cutting burdensome red tape, and unwinding Biden’s bad policies. One important example of bolstering American prosperity was your decision to rescind and replace the Biden administration’s AI Diffusion Rule. This rule would have helped China win the AI race, and replacing this rule quickly will provide American innovators a stable environment to compete and win.”

The senators argued that rescinding these restrictions was necessary because: “The Biden Administration’s AI Diffusion Rule, as accurately stated on the Bureau of Industry and Security’s website, ‘…would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements.’ The rule undermined relationships with allies and partners around the world. It hamstrung American companies, and the rule ultimately gave friendly nations an incentive to turn to Communist China for their emerging tech needs. Repealing this rule was a step forward for the nation.”

Looking ahead at global competition in sectors such as cryptography, pharmaceuticals, and defense materials dependent on AI advancements, they wrote: “While we are currently ahead of Communist China in the AI race, we must continue to help our nation, companies, and innovators succeed. Failure to maintain our lead in AI development means that we could be at the mercy of Communist China for many critical industries... We must continue to capitalize on this momentum by ensuring allies and partners building out their AI investments see the U.S. as the superior, most reliable partner.”

The senators recommended implementing know-your-customer protocols alongside security controls specifically targeted at technologies used in training advanced AI models while allowing other technologies more freedom of movement internationally.

They concluded: “We thank you for your decisive actions so far bolstering American leadership, security, and prosperity. We look forward to working with you and President Trump to make America the AI capital of the world.”