The unchecked rise of AI isn’t abstract, it’s a deliberate policy failure that puts corporate greed above human lives, especially our children’s. My work following the Genesis Mission, Trump’s November 2025 Executive Order unleashing AI across various sectors while simultaneously removing consumer safeguards that were previously in place have intensified my concern. Trump describes his urgency regarding the Genesis Mission on the same scale as the Manhattan Project…we all know how that turned out.
Our federal and local governments appear to be operating with a level of opaqueness rather than transparency, and I have become increasingly concerned about this. Through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)(5 U.S.C. § 552) and the Tennessee Public Records Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 10‑7‑503 et seq.), I requested several documents from the government to verify that the are operating transparently and in the best interest of the American people. I list in detail in my blog, Tennessee’s Dangerous Acceleration into Artificial Intelligence (AI), all of the information I requested from federal and state agencies who are instrumental in these dangerous policies.
Federal Offices/Departments I sent FOIA/TPRA requests to:
- Federal Trade Commission
- United States Department of Commerce – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- United States Department of Energy
- United States Department of Homeland Security – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- United States Department of Justice – Office of Information Policy (OIP)
- United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- United States Department of State
- The White House – Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration
The law provides a specific timeline for how both the state and federal governments are required to handle FOIA or TPRA requests. My requests for records were denied stating no records were found, denied because the office deemed my requests were too comprehensive, or agencies are charging excessive fees to produce the information. I have submitted follow-up emails and requests to most of these, as it has been more time than the law allows for these requests. It is especially disconcerting when we cannot trust the government to comply with the laws it seeks to enforce on us.
This quest to hold our government accountable for compliance and transparency is one that I have voluntarily taken because I see the need, but it also comes at an incredible cost and financial expense. I am a mental health counselor in Tennessee where a large percentage of my clients have Medicaid (Tenncare) insurance, and those reimbursement rates are negligible compared to other insurance rates. This means I don’t have any excess time or money to fight this uphill battle and need your support to continue these efforts, as many of these agencies are charging enormous fees to produce records, in an attempt to stop my efforts. Please consider contributing to my GoFundMe.
AI Deregulation: A Green Light for Exploitation of the American People
Trump secured MOUs from at least 24 different companies associated with AI and technology. These billionaires committed to contribute money to the Genesis Mission in exchange for contracts and policies that maximize these companies’ profits, while middle class Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. This wealth gap is compounded by the reality that Trump and these AI developers are profiting billions while systematically creating an environment surrounding AI that is completely risky and unstable, with the most vulnerable in our communities being the ones who are continually exploited.
I am not anti-profit, anti-success, or even anti-Trump; I celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic strength, but I have and will always support and advocate for the protection of the most vulnerable in our communities who cannot defend themselves. We must act as digital gatekeepers for our kids; safeguarding the next generation is not partisan; it is a moral imperative that transcends politics.
The European Union (EU) Prioritizes Consumer Safety Above Profits
The complexity and challenges of AI are a global issue and isn’t just centralized within the United States. Aware that AI could supercharge misinformation, entrench bias, exploit children, and undermine fundamental rights, the European Union chose a proactive path, implementing robust protections before these harms became irreversible. Recognizing that people, especially children and the most vulnerable are susceptible to exploitation, the EU AI Act contains explicit guidelines for AI platforms:
- Bans unacceptable-risk AI uses, including manipulative subliminal techniques, real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces, and AI exploiting age-related vulnerabilities (e.g., manipulative techniques targeting minors)
- Mandates risk management, transparency, and human oversight for high-risk systems used in hiring, education, and critical infrastructure
- Requires general-purpose AI models like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Grok to disclose capabilities, publish technical documentation, report systemic risks, and clearly indicate users are interacting with AI
- Mandates safeguards against deepfakes, grooming risks, and harmful content
- Imposes substantial fines for violations.
US politicians and AI platform owners and developers have stated that the EU AI Act is too restrictive and stifles creativity. Translation: they don’t want anything that might reduce their ability to maximize profits, or threatened their perception of their superiority. The moral high ground he US often takes regarding foreign policy goes out the window when the wealthy continue to exploit its citizens in order for 5% of the population to remain wealthy and in power.
Article 5 in the EU AI Act list specific rules and safeguards for their citizens as it relates to how companies implement AI. Rather than utilizing the EU’s policy as a framework to establish one for the United States, Trump and his billionaire tech leaders criticize and demonize the EU’s plan, disregarding the real and present dangers AI presents to the world. Instead, Trump is focused on maximizing his profits and gaslighting the American people.
The United States Needs Comprehensive AI Legislation
The horrors of the Epstein files are the result of powerful men and women being allowed to exploit children for their own selfish and sadistic pleasures. Continuing with the Genesis Mission in the manner Trump has initiated is a continuation of that same level of exploitation. Trump reroutes power and financial gain to himself and those who have helped him rise to power, all the while touting his quest for “draining the swamp” and finding “waste, fraud, and abuse.” A system that rewards and prioritizes wealth for a select few, while systematically removing food, insurance benefits, and other basic needs of a civilized culture, has a humanity that is questionable.
I researched the proposed bills that have been offered by members of congress regarding AI, and it seems to me that they are offering fragments of policy ideas that never make it out of Committees, but they are also vastly inept to address the current state of AI in the US, much less the cavalier and reckless approach Trump is taking via the Genesis Mission through Executive Order. The following are House/Senate bills you can research yourself to see:
- H.R. 7294
- H.R. 7218
- H.R. 7158
- H.R. 7151
- H.Res 1007
- H.R. 7110
- S. 3680
- H.R. 7064
- H.R. 7058
- S. 3586
A comprehensive AI governance at both the federal and state level can and should be implemented. The capacity for innovation and harm through AI is profound, and the United States has a history of exploiting its citizens in favor of ego, racism, and incessant need for power and dominance.
- Slavery & Jim Crow laws
- Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
- MKUltra Program
- Japanese American Internment
- and more
The EU AI Act provides an effective starting point to implement protective measures for AI in the United States:
- Risk-based classification system — Categorize AI systems by risk level: prohibit unacceptable-risk practices (e.g., social scoring, manipulative subliminal techniques); heavily regulate high-risk systems (e.g., in employment, education, critical infrastructure, law enforcement) with strict obligations like risk management, data governance, transparency, human oversight, accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity; impose lighter transparency rules for limited-risk AI (e.g., chatbots, deepfakes); leave minimal-risk AI largely unregulated or voluntary.
- Clear prohibitions and exceptions — Outright ban high-harm practices (e.g., untargeted facial scraping, emotion inference in workplaces/education except for safety/medical reasons, real-time remote biometric ID in public spaces with narrow, safeguarded law enforcement exceptions requiring impact assessments, authorization, and registration).
- Obligations tailored to roles and general-purpose AI — Place primary duties on providers (developers) for high-risk and general-purpose/foundation models (e.g., documentation, copyright compliance, risk assessments, adversarial testing for systemic-risk models); assign lighter responsibilities to deployers (users), importers, and distributors; support downstream transparency and incident reporting.
- Governance, innovation support, and enforcement — Establish centralized oversight (e.g., an expanded NIST AI Safety Institute or new federal AI Office), advisory bodies, codes of practice, and regulatory sandboxes to foster innovation (especially for SMEs/startups); include market surveillance, incident reporting, penalties (tiered fines), and phased implementation timelines to allow transition and adaptation.
We cannot keep sacrificing safeguards and protections for Americans so the powerful stay rich. Demand a comprehensive federal AI legislation for our children, our families, and our future…otherwise, history might repeat itself.