The Regulatory State(s): AI Safeguards, Deregulation For Affordability’s Sake

With polls showing the public wanting more government oversight of artificial intelligence – AI leaders themselves begging Congress and the White House to step in – what’s a sensible path forward at both the federal and state levels? Hoover Institution fellow Patrick McLaughlin discusses how to avoid what he calls “the 50-state tollbooth problem” for AI – as in shipping on the Rhine in medieval Germany, a challenge in keeping traffic moving without too many inconveniences. Also discussed: why regulatory reform and the concept of lowering consumers' prices by thinning red tape isn’t part of the election-year conversation, how Idaho, Virginia and British Columbia made deregulation work in their respective lands, and what a pair of November ballot initiatives in California – one promising more affordable housing, the other addressing a notorious environmental statute – say about life in America’s most regulated state. Click here to see more details on this episode, including related research: https://www.hoover.org/plus/research/regulatory-states-ai-safeguards-deregulation-affordabilitys-sake?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mpp_youtube&utm_content=10232026 _________________________ 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions: @HooverInstitution 👍 Like and share this video! 🌐 Follow us on social media: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HooverInstStanford • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoover-institution-at-stanford-university • Instagram: https://instagram.com/hooverinstitution • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hooverinstitution • X: https://www.twitter.com/HooverInst The opinions expressed on this channel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2026 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.