{"slug": "gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit", "title": "GOP Rep. Guthrie warns against strict AI regulations at Decoded Summit", "summary": "Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called for a unified national AI standard under the Commerce Clause and a moratorium on state AI regulations at POLITICO's Decoded Summit in Washington on September 16, framing AI governance as a race against China rather than a regulatory exercise with Europe. Guthrie cited China's planned roughly $295 billion investment in data center infrastructure over the next five years and US permitting delays as reasons to build AI infrastructure before writing rules, and pointed to the Ratepayer Protection Act to shield consumers from electricity price spikes driven by AI data centers. A G20 accord reached in September 2026 endorsed lighter-touch AI regulations broadly aligned with the US approach.", "body_md": "Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels\n\n# GOP Rep. Guthrie warns against strict AI regulations at Decoded Summit\n\nThe House Energy and Commerce chair framed AI governance as a race against China, not a regulatory exercise with Europe\n\nRep. Brett Guthrie wants the US to build AI infrastructure first and write the rulebook later. Speaking at POLITICO’s Decoded Summit in Washington on September 16, the Kentucky Republican and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee laid out a vision for American AI policy that treats Europe’s regulatory playbook less as a model and more as a cautionary tale.\n\nHis core argument: the real competition isn’t with Brussels over who can draft the most comprehensive AI safety framework. It’s with Beijing over who controls the next era of technological dominance.\n\n## The case against the European model\n\nInstead of layering on federal rules, Guthrie called for a unified national standard on AI regulation. That standard would be built under the Commerce Clause, effectively preempting the emerging patchwork of state-level AI laws that are already complicating things for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions.\n\nHe went a step further, advocating for a moratorium on state AI regulations while Congress works through the details.\n\nThe broader Republican platform in 2026 has leaned heavily into this pro-innovation posture on emerging tech. That stance creates friction with bipartisan voices in Congress who worry about AI’s potential for misuse, from deepfakes in elections to algorithmic discrimination in hiring and lending.\n\n### AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.\n\nDaily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.\n\n## China’s $295 billion shadow\n\nGuthrie repeatedly pointed to China’s infrastructure ambitions as the primary reason the US can’t afford regulatory paralysis. China is on track to invest roughly $295 billion in data center infrastructure over the next five years.\n\nGuthrie flagged US permitting delays as a particular vulnerability. Getting approval to build new data centers, run new transmission lines, and connect to the grid can take years in some jurisdictions.\n\nTo address the energy side of the equation, Guthrie pointed to the Ratepayer Protection Act, a piece of legislation designed to shield consumers from electricity price spikes driven by the enormous power demands of AI data centers.\n\n## International winds shifting toward lighter touch\n\nA G20 accord reached in September 2026 endorsed lighter-touch AI regulations broadly aligned with the US approach. That’s a meaningful shift from even a year ago, when the European model appeared to be gaining traction as the global default.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our\n\n[Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/guthrie-warns-strict-ai-regulations-decoded-summit/", "published_at": "2026-09-16 14:16:06+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-16 14:41:15.543452+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-infrastructure", "ai-safety"], "entities": ["Brett Guthrie", "House Energy and Commerce Committee", "POLITICO", "Decoded Summit", "China", "Ratepayer Protection Act", "G20", "European Union"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gop-rep-guthrie-warns-against-strict-ai-regulations-at-decoded-summit.jsonld"}}