Attorney General Todd Blanche told Bloomberg the Justice Department opposes regulating AI through prosecution and will act against AI companies and executives only on clear statutory violations.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg News that he prefers a restrained approach to enforcement against artificial intelligence companies and executives. Bloomberg reported that Blanche opposes AI “regulation by prosecution” and that the Justice Department under his leadership will take action only when there are clear violations of the law.
In plain terms, that posture means DOJ does not intend to use criminal cases to invent an AI regulatory framework. Prosecutors would still pursue AI-related conduct that breaks existing statutes, but Blanche framed clear statutory violations as the gate for action against companies or executives.
Blanche criticized what he cast as a heavy-handed approach by his Biden administration predecessors, Bloomberg reported. Bloomberg also noted that questions such as possible antitrust exemptions still require further consideration with other administration officials. The interview lands amid a wider Washington debate over AI risk, industry calls to pace frontier development, and White House and congressional signals against a development moratorium.
The Bloomberg account does not announce a new AI criminal statute or close existing civil regulatory debates. The news is the Attorney General’s enforcement signal: no regulation by prosecution, and criminal cases need clear statutory footing.
This brief covers Blanche’s attributed interview remarks as reported by Bloomberg. It is distinct from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s no-moratorium comments and from prior coverage of President Trump dismissing slowdown calls.