The White House released a comprehensive legislative blueprint Friday outlining recommendations for Congress to establish a national AI policy framework. Titled "National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence Legislative Recommendations," the document calls for a light-touch approach to regulation that prioritizes innovation, protects key interests, and preempts conflicting state laws.

The framework addresses concerns over a growing patchwork of state regulations, which White House AI czar David Sacks described as threatening to "stifle innovation and jeopardize America’s lead in the AI race." It builds on President Donald Trump's December 2025 executive order aimed at creating a uniform federal standard for AI.

The blueprint structures its recommendations around six key objectives. First, it emphasizes protecting children and empowering parents by requiring AI platforms accessed by minors to implement features reducing risks of sexual exploitation and self-harm, while providing parental controls for privacy and screen time. Second, safeguarding communities includes measures to prevent residential electricity cost increases from AI data centers, streamline permitting for on-site power generation, and bolster efforts against AI-enabled scams targeting seniors.

Third, respecting intellectual property rights supports court resolution of debates over AI training on copyrighted material, potential licensing frameworks without mandating them, and protections against unauthorized digital replicas, with exceptions for parody and news. Fourth, preventing censorship seeks to bar federal coercion of AI providers to alter content based on ideology and provide redress mechanisms.

The fifth objective, enabling innovation, calls for regulatory sandboxes, accessible federal datasets, and no new AI-specific federal agencies, relying instead on existing regulators. Finally, workforce development urges incorporating AI training into education and apprenticeships while studying job shifts.

A central theme is federal preemption of state AI laws imposing "undue burdens," such as those regulating model development or penalizing developers for third-party misuse, to avoid 50 discordant standards. States retain authority over general laws like child protection, fraud prevention, and infrastructure zoning.

House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and others, pledged to work across the aisle to implement the framework, citing its potential to beat China in AI while prioritizing family safety. Bipartisan support remains uncertain amid election-year divisions, though experts note it addresses key sticking points like child safety and energy costs.

The administration aims to turn these principles into law soon, positioning the U.S. for AI dominance.