For Immediate Release
December 12, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now deeply embedded in the systems that shape our daily lives. It generates the information used in our schools, our news, and our online searches. AI decision-making tools determine who sees which ads, sort rental and job applications for landlords and employers, decide who autonomous vehicles will detect and when they will stop, and influence whether a patient’s medically necessary treatment will be covered. With AI everywhere, it has been states – not the federal government – that have taken real action to ensure AI serves the public good. States have passed laws that require AI use to be disclosed, criminalize the creation and distribution of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and require that human doctors, not algorithms, make final medical decisions for insurers.
President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) attempts to strip states of their power to hold AI developers and users accountable. The EO claims AI should be “governed by a single national standard,” yet the federal government has created no enforceable rules to protect civil rights or prevent discrimination. We already know that AI built on biased data can produce biased outcomes, and steps can be taken to deter and protect against bias and discrimination.
The EO does not just fail to safeguard the public, it also actively threatens access to the internet, which is increasingly essential for telehealth, education, employment and reducing isolation for disabled people of all ages, races, and ethnicities. The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) aims to provide “affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband” service to locations in all states and territories lacking access. The EO prohibits states with “onerous” AI laws from receiving their BEAD funds. Restricting funds would jeopardize high-speed internet expansion in rural and remote locations where it is needed most.
Michelle Uzeta, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) Executive Director, said, “DREDF opposes the harmful EO. States must retain their authority to protect their residents. We call on Congress to pass the AI Civil Rights Act. Developers and users must be accountable for building and maintaining protections against discrimination. The AI Civil Rights Act strengthens our ability to challenge harmful, opaque systems and moves us toward a future where AI is transparent, equitable, and inclusive.
This moment demands action. Our communities must push back against policies that put profit above transparency, safety, and civil rights. AI can serve the public, but only if we insist on it.”
Media Contact
Tina Pinedo
Communications Director
(510) 644-2555
media@dredf.org
About Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) is a national civil rights law and policy center directed by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Our mission is to advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development. We work with the core principles of equality of opportunity, disability accommodation, accessibility, and inclusion.
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