The Disempowerment of the States - Trump's AI Law Opens the Door to Total Surveillance

Some laws sound dry and technical, almost like trivial bureaucracy. Yet hidden between sober paragraphs lies, at times, an explosive force capable of shaking the foundations of a democracy. One such law is Trump’s latest project, euphemistically called the “Big Beautiful Bill.” In reality, however, it could prove to be one of the most serious attacks on the federal democracy of the United States in decades.

At the center of the controversy is Section 43201, Subsection (c). Behind an inconspicuous formulation lies a radical intervention: for ten years, all 50 states are prohibited from independently legislating the use and regulation of federal AI systems. That means: no individual protective laws, no local data privacy regulations, no right to independently control surveillance mechanisms deployed by the federal government.

What at first appears to be an administrative detail is, in fact, nothing less than a shift in power of historic proportions. States, whether governed by Democrats or Republicans, will lose every tool to protect their citizens from the abusive use of AI technology by federal authorities. Nationwide, unrestricted AI surveillance could become reality - without any chance for democratic participation or legal recourse at the local level.

This provision exposes an alarming double standard: the very political forces that have long vehemently defended states’ rights are now discarding every federalist principle the moment it comes to technological control and surveillance. The step toward centralized power concentration is quickly taken as soon as civil rights become a bargaining chip. The danger of this law is clear: a centrally controlled AI could penetrate deep into the life of every single citizen - unlimited, unchecked, and with no regard for local protective laws. The federal structure, for centuries a guarantee of democratic diversity and protection against abuse of power, is being dismantled overnight. Democratic oversight is giving way to a technocratic, centralized power whose potential for abuse is immense.

The tragedy is that many citizens may only realize this assault on their freedom when it is already too late. Trump’s law sets a precedent that urgently requires public debate. Because once the states are disempowered, the step toward full digital control is only a matter of time. In this law, seemingly harmless and bureaucratically worded, lies a future that many fear - a future in which democratic principles no longer matter, and only the cold, all-seeing gaze of artificial intelligence remains, no longer subject to local democratic control.