Mike Rounds

Export Control and Compute Governance

Government control or restriction of advanced AI capabilities through trade, export, or compute access.

Source: Statement · gabeevans.house.gov

Military and National Security Uses of AI

Positions on the use of AI in military, intelligence, or national security contexts.

Rounds sits on Senate Armed Services and chairs/ranks on its Cybersecurity Subcommittee. Consistently articulates that US needs to develop AI faster than China and prioritizes quick development > surveillance guardrails.

Source: Statement

AI Regulation Philosophy

A candidate's general stance on regulating AI systems.

Rounds advocates for a "light-touch" regulatory approach priorizing national security and safeguards American leadership against foreign adversaries or heavy federal restrictions; he has championed creation of "regulatory sandboxes" through legislation like the Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Acthat allow companies to test advanced AI projects under regulatory supervision without the fear of immediate, retroactive penalties; has been a key architect of the Senate's comprehensive bipartisan framework for AI policy, focusing on privacy, data protection, transparency, and workforce readiness

Source: Statement

Children's Online Safety

Views on protecting minors from harms related to AI or AI-mediated platforms.

Rounds has been a vocal supporter of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), designed to hold major tech platforms accountable for addictive algorithms, targeting, and harms to adolescent mental health.

Source: Statement · heritageaction.com

Jobs and Workforce Disruption

Positions on AI-driven job displacement, reskilling programs, unemployment policy, and tax policy for distributing AI-driven wealth.

Discusses AI necessitating more jobs rather than less, especially in construction

AI Preemption

Stance on federal preemption of state AI laws, states' rights to regulate AI, and the patchwork of local vs. national regulatory approaches.

Rounds strongly favors federal preemption over a fragmented network of state-level AI regulations