Will states lead the way on AI regulation?
Last year was a busy time for lawmakers and lobbyists concerned about AI — most notably in California, where Gavin Newsom signed 18 new AI laws while also vetoing high-profile AI legislation.
And 2025 could see just as much activity, especially on the state level, according to Mark Weatherford. Weatherford has, in his words, seen the “sausage making of policy and legislation” at both the state and federal levels; he’s served as Chief Information Security Officer for the states of California and Colorado, as well as Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity under President Barack Obama.
Weatherford said that in recent years, he has held different job titles, but his role usually boils down to figuring out “how do we raise the level of conversation around security and around privacy so that we can help influence how policy is made.”
Last fall, he joined synthetic data company Gretel as its vice president of policy and standards. So I was excited to talk to him about what he thinks comes next in AI regulation and why he thinks states are likely to lead the way.
