President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at blocking states from crafting their own regulations for artificial intelligence, saying the burgeoning industry is at risk of being stifled by a patchwork of onerous rules while in a battle with Chinese competitors for supremacy.

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, have pushed for more regulations on AI, saying there is not enough oversight for the powerful technology.

Business groups, including in Colorado, have argued against state-by-state regulations, arguing the federal government should tackle this topic and any law passed should apply nationwide, instead of a patchwork of regulations.

Last year, Colorado approved a law that imposes requirements on developers and “deployers” – including small businesses, hospitals, colleges, schools and banks – to ensure, supporters said, that they aren’t using AI to discriminate on a range of issues, such as employment, finance, healthcare, education, legal services, and housing.

Gov. Jared Polis signed the law, though he also signaled his misgivings with the legislation. The law drew criticism from the tech industry, as well as from public schools and colleges, which expressed worries about the costs of implementing the new regulations. Implementation of that law has been delayed to June 30, 2026.

A few months ago, Polis convened a working group and tasked it to “prioritize evidence-based policy solutions that mitigate bias, avoid ambiguity, facilitate innovation and economic growth, and are in alignment with national standards and best practices.”

“Colorado should not go it alone,” the governor wrote, a nod to his view that Congress should take up the issue.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “there’s only going to be one winner” as nations race to dominate artificial intelligence, and China’s central government gives its companies a single place to go for government approvals.

“We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because it’s impossible to do,” Trump said.

The executive order directs the U.S. Attorney General to create a new task force to challenge state laws. It also directs the U.S. Commerce Department to draw up a list of problematic regulations.

It threatens to restrict funding from a broadband deployment program and other grant programs to states with AI laws.

David Sacks, a venture capitalist with extensive AI investments who is leading Trump’s policies on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, said the Trump administration would only push back on “the most onerous examples of state regulation” but would not oppose “kid safety” measures.

Four states — Colorado, California, Utah and Texas — have passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

The Associated Press and Colorado Politics contributed to this article.