Oklahoma AG Drummond urges Congress to regulate AI industry

By Splitfeed EditorialLast updated Sep 26, 2026, 19:17 UTC

On September 24 and 25, 2026, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond publicly called on Congress to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, framing the effort as a matter of protecting Oklahomans. The oklahoma.gov release on September 25 and subsequent local coverage from KFOR, News 9, and KOKH confirmed Drummond as the named source. Drummond was not acting alone: according to reporting cited by KTVZ News and FOX 12 Oregon, Oregon AG Dan Rayfield led a coalition of 26 attorneys general making a parallel push for national AI safety regulations, suggesting a coordinated, multistate effort rather than an isolated state-level statement.

The significance of this development lies in the breadth of the coalition and its timing. A bipartisan group of state AGs calling on Congress to act represents pressure from officials who would typically be responsible for enforcing whatever federal framework eventually emerges. The absence of existing federal AI legislation means the attorneys general are pushing into a genuine policy vacuum, and the specific proposals Drummond put forward, if any, have not been detailed in available reporting. What is in genuine dispute is whether Congress is capable of responding effectively, and what form any regulation should take.

The Anti-AI camp is the most vocal here. Heidi Li Feldman highlighted AG Brown and a bipartisan coalition calling for protection from unchecked AI development. Riffy Bol argued that Congress has already abdicated responsibility in the way it failed to properly oversee the internet and social media, implying AI regulation faces the same institutional resistance. One account, scarsandhearts, went further, calling for AI to be treated as a public utility funded by the wealthy, though that view is more radical than the mainstream coalition position. The Pro-AI camp has produced no reactions to this story yet; they would typically argue that federal regulation risks stifling innovation and that industry self-governance or lighter-touch frameworks are preferable. The Middle Ground camp has also not weighed in, but would generally be expected to support some form of federal baseline while cautioning against overly prescriptive rules.

The next concrete marker to watch is whether Congress responds with any hearings, draft legislation, or formal acknowledgment of the multistate AG coalition's demands. A specific bill introduction or committee vote would be the clearest signal of whether this pressure is translating into legislative movement.