National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence

The National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (NPF) is a federal policy document published by the Trump administration on 20 March 2026. It establishes the administration's strategic approach to artificial intelligence governance: prioritising AI development and commercial deployment speed while reducing regulatory barriers. The NPF does not carry the force of law — it is an executive policy directive — but it instructs federal departments and agencies to align their rulemaking and enforcement posture with the administration's AI development priorities.

A central provision of the NPF is its instruction to federal agencies to preempt state and local AI regulations that, in the administration's view, create inconsistent requirements that impede national AI competitiveness. This preemption directive is aimed specifically at the emerging patchwork of state-level AI labour, transparency, and accountability laws that have proliferated in California, Colorado, New York, and other states since 2024. The NPF frames state AI laws as a competitive liability relative to China and the European Union.

The NPF is distinct from the EU AI Act approach in almost every dimension: where the EU act imposes mandatory ex-ante requirements (risk assessments, transparency obligations, human oversight) before deployment, the NPF prioritises post-incident enforcement and defers to market self-regulation where possible. The contrast has become a reference point in international debates about AI governance divergence.

The NPF's preemption directive is the most consequential federal policy development for US AI employment law in 2026. By instructing agencies to challenge state-level AI labour protections — including California's proposed SB 951 — the administration is effectively capping the regulatory floor that US workers can expect when facing AI-driven restructuring. The Attorney General's AI Task Force, established 9 January 2026, is the enforcement vehicle for this preemption strategy.

The NPF's posture stands in direct contrast to the EU's approach: while Brussels tightened Annex III obligations for AI used in employment decisions, Washington's federal framework is actively trying to prevent US states from reaching equivalent standards.