| Details emerged this week of deals struck by President Donald Trump with top American chip companies that transformed U.S. policy on China and artificial intelligence. Trump allowed Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to resume sales of AI chips to China that he had previously blocked, in return for the U.S. government collecting 15 percent of revenue from Chinese buyers, tech reporter Gerrit De Vynck and economic policy correspondent Jacob Bogage reported. The decision reversed course on previous policies from Trump and his predecessor, President Joe Biden, who had both tried to limit China’s access to advanced technology to hobble its ability to compete with the United States on AI. Nvidia and AMD claimed to have lost out on billions of dollars earlier this year as a result of Trump’s restriction on their chip exports to China. Trump’s move triggered concern from trade and national security experts, who said it would help China compete with the U.S. and that other companies might be forced into similar deals. Legal experts have said the deal conflicts with the Constitution, which bans the government from taxing exports. Trump and his supporters say that keeping Chinese tech companies reliant on American-made chips will reduce pressure on China to make its own chips more advanced. The president described his negotiation with Nvidia in a White House news briefing Monday. “I said, ‘If I’m going to do that, I want you to pay us as a country something because I’m giving you a release,’” Trump said. States are moving to regulate AI in health care and workplaces. Tech Brief has previously covered the GOP’s failed attempt to pass a federal moratorium on state regulation on artificial intelligence. This week, there was evidence that state lawmakers across the nation are moving to pass laws on the technology. Illinois joined Nevada and Utah in restricting AI in mental health therapy, reported Daniel Wu. The ban allows licensed therapists to keep deploying AI for administrative tasks but prohibits them from using it to make any treatment decisions or to communicate with their clients. The ban also bars therapists from recommending any AI-powered tools to their patients for mental health treatment. Meanwhile, labor groups are working with state lawmakers to regulate the use of AI in the workplace, reported our tech-at-work reporter Danielle Abril. As concerns grow over loss of jobs because of AI automation, union leaders and state lawmakers are stepping in to protect workers from potential job loss or infringement on employees’ rights. “We can’t just be the Wild West where tech companies can experiment on our roads unregulated,” said Massachusetts state Sen. Paul Feeney (D). He introduced a bill backed by the Teamsters union that would require autonomous vehicles to have a human safety operator on board who can intervene during rides. “Let’s make sure we’re introducing commonsense regulations that keep people safe and employed,” Feeney said. | 
