California's governor Gavin Newsom issued a strongly-worded statement in response to the executive order.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at blocking states from enforcing their own artificial intelligence (AI) regulations.

“We want to have one central source of approval,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

It will give the Trump administration tools to push back on the most “onerous” state rules, said White House AI adviser David Sacks. The government will not oppose AI regulations around children’s safety, he added.

The move marks a win for technology giants who have called for US-wide AI legislation as it could have a major impact on America’s goal of leading the fast-developing industry.