Walz, Harris' VP pick, made Minn. a leader in AI regulation
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz supports climate action and released a Climate Action Framework detailing steps for the state to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and Kamala Harris' running mate, has experience in building climate action plans, supporting semiconductor manufacturing and signing regulation for technologies such as artificial intelligence into law.
As Harris' vice president, Walz would play an instrumental role in developing policies toward AI, semiconductors and other technologies should the duo win the November presidential election. Since becoming governor of Minnesota in 2019, Walz enacted a law targeting political and sexual AI deepfakes, or fake content altered by AI to appear real. He also saw passage of an AI law in 2020 requiring law enforcement to obtain warrants before using drones with facial recognition technology. Meanwhile, Congress has struggled to pass regulations governing AI use, despite officials like Harris pressing for AI legislation.
Brookings Institution senior fellow Darrell West said little is known about Walz's policy positions in the tech area. However, he said Minnesota's AI law goes further than other states by requiring disclosure of AI-generated content in campaign communications and makes nonconsensual dissemination of sexual or political deepfakes a crime.
"Minnesota has gone further in addressing AI harms than any other state in the country," West said.
Walz on tech, climate
West said Walz is a strong supporter of domestic manufacturing, including semiconductors. Minnesota benefited from the CHIPS and Science Act, which invested $120 million in Polar Semiconductor's expansion of a manufacturing facility in Bloomington, Minn.
The Dept. of Commerce also designated Minnesota as one of 31 inaugural tech hubs, recognizing the state as a region that showed "potential for rapid growth in key technology sectors."
"He is a big believer in bringing chip manufacturing back to the U.S.," West said. "He sees chips as part of our vital infrastructure for the overall economy."
As governor, Walz signed a broadband bill into law in 2023, which invested $100 million into expanding high-speed broadband in Minnesota.
Minnesota has also focused on climate action under Walz's leadership. He established the Climate Change Subcabinet and Advisory Council on Climate Change and oversaw the creation of the Climate Action Framework, a plan that includes goals such as Minnesota becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.
"Climate change is an existential threat for all people in Minnesota," Walz wrote in the Climate Action Framework. He said the framework includes goals that will help "develop the next generation of climate-smart technologies."
Minnesota approved more than 40 climate-based initiatives in 2023, according to a news release.
"From clean energy jobs and electric vehicles to natural resource restoration and grants that prepare communities for severe weather, Minnesota is investing in innovative strategies that combat the effects of climate change," Walz said in the release.
On issues such as competition with China, Walz could take a softer policy approach, said Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research Inc. He said he also expects Walz to place a big focus on antitrust issues, which has been a significant focus of the Biden administration.
"I’d expect more regulation on tech," Wang said of Walz.
Makenzie Holland is a senior news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget Editorial, she was a general assignment reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.
