UltraViolet Action Statement on Trump Executive Order Preempting State-level AI Legislation
For Immediate Release: December 12, 2025
Contact: media@fwdshift.com
Administration’s Announcement Is a Win for Trump’s Donors in the Tech Sector, Poses Risk for Everyday People.
Following the announcement that President Donald Trump is issuing an executive order (EO) preempting state-level legislation regulating artificial intelligence (AI), UltraViolet Action, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization that works to hold the tech and corporate sectors accountable to women, released the following statement in response:
“Trump’s decision to unilaterally undercut regulation of AI only has one group of winners: His wealthy donors in the tech sector,” said Jenna Sherman, a campaign director focused on tech and gender at Ultraviolet Action. “Every other person loses from this wildly unpopular move. And not just in theory, as stripping away state AI regulations puts many—namely, women and children—at risk of real harm.”
“These harms of AI—which the Trump and the tech sector are clearly happy to ignore—are already here: non-consensual deepfake porn sexualizing women and girls, children being led to suicidal ideation by AI chatbots, and AI-powered scams and crimes targeting older Americans, especially women, to name but a few.
“While AI is already harming people, it is not too late to mitigate risks and protect future generations—which is why state-level AI legislation is so crucial. Already, for instance, 95 pieces of legislation to regulate sexual deepfakes have been passed by nearly all 50 states. And in 2024 alone, nearly 700 AI-related state bills were introduced. With this EO, all of those laws are essentially gone.”
“To fight that complete erasure of existing protections, we have a clear ask: State leaderswho care about the safety of the people in their state must act swiftly to challenge the federal government over enforcement of the EO. Doing so is the best shot we have at shaping our tech futures for all, and not just the tech moguls in Trump’s pockets.”
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UltraViolet Action works directly to mobilize constituents and lawmakers and is a 501(c)(4) organization working to change sexist policies, practices, and beliefs.
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