Regulating advanced AI is not a game of checkers. It’s a chess game.
Every movement is important. You have to think several steps ahead. And if you focus only on the next play – or worse, react after the fact – you risk losing the long game.
Today, the United States is at an inflection point in AI, where real policy choices are being made. You can see it in the ongoing actions in both the states and Washington.
In recent months, leaders in both New York and California have passed groundbreaking AI safety legislation. California’s SB 53 went into effect on January 1, while New York’s RAISE Act was signed by Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul in December and will go into effect in 2027.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivers her State of the State address at the Hart Theater at The Egg in Albany, New York, January 13, 2026. (Heather Ainsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Both states are moving toward approaches that align state and federal law – recognizing that a fragmented patchwork from state to state is not sustainable. Given their scale and economic impact, these steps create a clear path forward for federal action while positioning New York and California to lead the nation into the AI ​​era.
There is a word for this kind of coordination between state and federal action: harmonization. The federal government is setting one clear national standard for the most powerful AI systems: those that affect national security and the country as a whole. States continue to focus on the issues closest to people’s daily lives: consumer protection, civil rights and the way AI is used in schools, workplaces and public services. Each level of government plays to its strengths.
Think of it as one rulebook with two clear roles and one urgent mission: ensure the United States maintains its competitive advantage in a technology central to national security and global economic leadership. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said bluntly that whoever leads in AI will lead the world. The United States cannot afford to stray—or divide itself—at this critical moment.
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That’s because AI leadership is increasingly a matter of national security – and national security requires prevention, not punishment afterwards.
When states act alone, they are often forced to adopt a liability-only approach: holding companies liable after the damage has already occurred. Preventing the most serious risks requires access to the technical expertise and classified systems that only the federal government possesses.
That’s why our North Star must remain clear: Deploy border models safely and in a way that best positions the United States to maintain its innovation lead.
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This prevention-first approach already exists in practice. The Center for AI Standards and Innovation – established by the Biden administration and updated by the Trump administration – gives the federal government the ability to test and evaluate advanced AI systems before they are widely deployed. That kind of centralized testing is essential for managing risks that no state or company can address alone.
Without harmonization, AI companies would face a confusing patchwork of conflicting state requirements that slow innovation without improving public safety. This will provide companies with clarity and consistency, stronger protection for the public and clear scope for states to act where they add the most value.
Today, the United States is at an inflection point in AI, where real policy choices are being made. You can see it in the ongoing actions in both the states and Washington.
At the same time, states play a crucial role, and recent steps in New York and California show what that balance looks like in practice. By moving away from a piecemeal approach and toward alignment, the country’s two largest innovation economies are helping to create a de facto national standard that exists alongside, not instead of, state action.
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This is what harmonization looks like in practice: Washington focuses on the highest-stakes security issues, while states deal with kitchen-table issues. It is a third way forward: avoiding both unregulated acceleration and fragmented overreach.
Think about how we handle car safety. We don’t wait for accidents to happen and then rely solely on lawsuits to make cars safer. The federal government sets clear national safety standards. It requires rigorous testing. And it makes seat belts, airbags and braking systems mandatory – with strict rules on how well they must perform – before cars ever hit the road. Liability still matters, but prevention comes first because the stakes are too high to get it wrong.
That balance is not new. It is the way the United States has governed aviation, food and drug safety, financial markets, and telecommunications. In each case, the federal government established clear national standards for systems that power the entire country, while states closer to home continued to play a critical role. The result was not less innovation or less growth. It was regulatory clarity, economic growth and American leadership.
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I saw this dynamic firsthand in 1996, when I worked in the White House, just as the Internet was beginning to reshape the economy.
Washington faced a choice that feels familiar today: apply old rules to a new technology, or agree on a new national framework for what would come next. Democrats and Republicans chose the latter.
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The result was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was not perfect, but it got the big things in order. It created clear national standards, gave innovators room to build, and helped position the United States to lead the Internet age that followed.
Think of it as one rulebook with two clear roles and one urgent mission: ensure the United States maintains its competitive advantage in a technology central to national security and global economic leadership.
The lesson is simple. If America sets smart, national standards for emerging technologies, we won’t lag behind, we’ll lead the way.
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The chessboard is set. If the United States focuses on prevention, harmonizes state and federal efforts, and keeps its eyes on that North Star, we can once again lead a decisive technological era.
This is how you win the long game: by playing chess, not by playing checkers.
