Obernolte and Trahan released the Great American AI Act of 2026 as a bipartisan discussion draft; Miles Brundage criticized it as weaker than the FRONTIER Act.
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Great American AI Act criticized as step back from FRONTIER Act
The gist
A federal AI bill that preempts state safety laws while setting a weaker regulatory floor could reduce the overall stringency of AI oversight across the country. Whether the bill's audit and corrective-action mechanisms are sufficient is a concrete dispute shaping how frontier AI will be governed.
The full picture
Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) released a bipartisan discussion draft of the Great American AI Act of 2026. Policy commentators, including Miles Brundage, argue the bill is weaker than the FRONTIER Act and that locking in a weaker federal regulatory ceiling while AI capabilities are advancing rapidly is the wrong approach. Specific criticisms include the lack of auditor independence (auditors should not be paid or selected by the labs they audit) and the absence of strong corrective-action mechanisms when auditors identify major issues. The bill's potential preemption of state safety laws amplifies these concerns: critics argue that if state laws are preempted, the resulting federal regime must be able to evolve alongside AI capabilities. These federal developments coincide with Illinois passing a frontier model safety bill and a White House June 2026 executive order establishing a voluntary framework for frontier AI developers to share models with the federal government before public release for national security and cybersecurity assessment.
How it developed
Sources
Miles Brundage Twitter
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