Maryland governor launches bipartisan governors group to craft AI framework

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on Oct. 1, 2026, that he is forming a bipartisan group of governors to respond to growing concerns about threats posed by artificial intelligence, saying states need to act while the federal government has failed to do so.

In an interview after speaking at an innovation conference in Baltimore, Moore criticized President Donald Trump’s White House meeting with AI executives this week as a “billionaire boys club” and faulted Congress for leaving Washington until after the November midterms without addressing the rapidly evolving technology. “In the absence of that, the governors cannot just sit on our hands,” he said.

Moore, chair of the National Governors Association this year, said his co-chair, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun, will partner on developing an AI framework, with other governors from both parties planning to participate.

Over the past month, governors in Maryland, California, Illinois, Oregon and Virginia have issued executive orders or taken other steps to set standards for AI, while Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have tightened oversight of data center development. Federal action has been slower: Sen. Bernie Sanders hosted a briefing with lawmakers and experts last month, and Sen. Josh Hawley has opened an investigation into OpenAI, but there is little agreement on legislation.

Moore said that elements of an AI executive order he signed in 2024 already feel antiquated, adding, “The operations might move, but my values will never move.”