Why PT1st Endorses Rep. Hageman’s Preventing AI Censorship Act

U.S. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman speaking with attendees at a field hearing hosted by the Western Caucus at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. PHOTO CREDIT: Gage Skidmore

The next great battle over free speech may not be fought on social media. It may be fought in the realm of artificial intelligence.

Americans are increasingly reliant on AI assistants, which are becoming the researchers, tutors, and reference librarians for millions of Americans. If federal bureaucrats can quietly influence the answers these artificial advisors provide, the result would not merely be speech moderation. It would give the government the dangerous power to shape how citizens understand history, politics, science, and public affairs.

That is the realization behind Rep. Harriet Hageman’s (R-WY) Preventing AI Censorship Act, legislation intended to hold federal employees personally accountable if they use their government positions to pressure AI companies into suppressing lawful speech or distorting information. 

As Rep. Hageman put it: 

“The First Amendment does not have an AI exemption. Federal employees who pressure AI companies to filter viewpoints, distort content, or spy on users based on their beliefs will face real legal consequences.”

The bill would create a private right of action allowing Americans to sue federal employees who coerce AI providers into suppressing viewpoints, altering AI outputs for ideological reasons, degrading access based on political beliefs, or using AI systems to facilitate viewpoint-based surveillance. 

Protect The 1st has long reminded policymakers that government officials cannot accomplish indirectly what the Constitution forbids them from doing directly. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that the government may not evade the First Amendment by leaning on private companies to censor speech. If AI becomes the primary gateway to information, the same constitutional principle must apply.

Reasonable safety guardrails for AI are appropriate. Government coercion to suppress protected speech is not.
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Congress can learn from Rep. Hageman’s approach that constitutional rights do not disappear when technology changes. The First Amendment protected the printing press, radio, television, and the internet. It must also protect the speech rights of Americans as we step into the age of artificial intelligence.

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