EO 14365 (federal preemption push)In forceUnited States (federal)

Executive Order 14365 — Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence

Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026.

In short

EO 14365 (11 December 2025) declares a federal policy of one 'minimally burdensome' national AI framework and targets the state-by-state patchwork. It creates a DOJ task force to sue states over conflicting AI laws, tells Commerce to list 'onerous' state laws, asks the FTC to say when state rules forcing AI to 'alter truthful outputs' are preempted, ties some broadband (BEAD) funding to state AI policy, and calls for preemption legislation. Child safety, data centres and state procurement are carved out. It creates no direct duties for businesses.

Who it applies to

Organisations that build or use AI systems in United States (federal).
Any use case — it is not limited to specific applications.
Size: everyone, including solo operators.
Directs federal agencies, not companies. It does not by itself cancel any state AI law: Texas, Illinois, California, Colorado and New York rules remain enforceable until a court or Congress says otherwise.

Key dates

Dec 11, 2025✓Signed by the President
Dec 16, 2025✓Published in the Federal Register
Jan 9, 2026✓DOJ AI Litigation Task Force created to challenge state AI laws
Mar 11, 2026✓Deadline for Commerce to publish its evaluation of 'onerous' state AI laws (reported as missed at the time)
Jul 7, 2026✓FTC policy statement on 'suppression of accuracy' in AI systems published in the Federal Register (reported)

What you have to do

Keep complying with state AI laws; the order does not suspend them.
Track DOJ Task Force lawsuits and any FTC or Commerce statements that name a law you rely on.
If you build models, expect federal pressure against outputs 'altered' for ideological reasons and document how you handle bias mitigation.
Watch for federal preemption legislation before assuming any state duty will disappear.

Penalties

None for private companies. The order works through federal litigation, funding conditions and agency guidance rather than fines.

Related lessons

Level 1The world map of AI rules: EU, US patchwork, Canada, standards8 min
Level 5Preparing for enforcement, investigations and appeals7 min
Level 5Staying current: key dates ahead and how to track change6 min

Real cases

Settlement2024 · US-federal
FTC v. DoNotPay — the 'robot lawyer' that was never tested against real lawyers
Proposed consent order announced 25 September 2024; finalised 11 February 2025 after a 5–0 Commission vote. DoNotPay must pay $193,000 in monetary relief, stop claiming its service performs like a real lawyer without evidence, and notify everyone who subscribed between 2021 and 2023 about the settlement.

Industries where it matters

Sources

Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026.