ICLE Scholar: White House AI Framework Regulates Harms Rather Than Speculative Risks
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Mar. 20, 2026) — Kristian Stout, Director of Innovation Policy at the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE), issued the following statement in response to the White House’s release of its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence:
“The administration’s framework is a welcome set of guidelines for U.S. AI policy. At a time when regulation risks splintering into conflicting state regimes or overbroad federal intervention, this approach largely gets the fundamentals right: a forward-looking federal role, a focus on harms rather than speculative risks, and reliance on existing legal institutions where possible.”
“The framework reflects a coherent theory of AI policy: rely on existing legal institutions where possible and avoid premature or overly centralized interventions. The real test will come in Congress, where political pressures could undermine that restraint.”
Stout added, “The framework strikes a defensible balance on issues like intellectual property, infrastructure, and federal preemption, but key questions—particularly around copyright and the limits of state authority—will ultimately need to be resolved through legislation and litigation.”
Read more in Stout’s latest post in Truth on the Market.
To interview Kristian, contact Jim Fellinger at [email protected].
About ICLE
The International Center for Law & Economics is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center working with a roster of more than one-hundred academic affiliates and research centers from around the globe. ICLE scholars promote the use of law and economics methodologies to inform public policy debates.