A GOP revolt over AI is taking shape
June 13, 2026
The fight over artificial intelligence is here, and the populist right is lacing up its gloves.
In recent weeks, the battle lines within the Republican Party over AI regulation have come squarely into view. Last week, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered a blistering rebuke of unfettered AI development and a call for defending working people in a speech at a Washington think tank that elicited raucous applause. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis again lambasted the Trump administration for attempting to preempt state-level regulation, calling it “bad policy” and “even worse politics” — comments that come just days after his hand-picked attorney general sued OpenAI. And a string of prominent GOP candidates, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, have campaigned on taking on Big Tech.
