The current federal administration has blocked any form of state-imposed regulations with the executive order, Eliminating State Law 'Obstruction' of National Artificial Intelligence Policy. What does this mean for Minnesotans? 

Increased consumer costs. Imagine paying more than a neighbor for the exact same product simply because an algorithm has estimated how much you are willing to pay. This is already happening. Retailers are using AI-driven surveillance pricing by mining your personal data: your age, gender, location, search history, shopping behavior, and even your device type. So yes, maybe consider delaying that smart phone upgrade!

Minnesota has traditionally had strong consumer-protection traditions. But this executive order prevents AI-specific protections from being enacted, and the fallout will especially hit our rural communities. With personalized pricing, supply-and-demand becomes irrelevant, and the question becomes: "How much is this person willing to pay?" Large businesses (and not just the online ones) with sophisticated AI can undercut small shops by adjusting prices in real time, offering discounts to only certain shoppers, and charging higher prices to anyone who appears "convenience-driven." Without intentional community support, how will our small business be able to compete with that? And for the goods that are not stocked locally, prices will be artificially inflated because limited access. We've all heard the stories of price gouging at rural grocery stores... well, imagine that, but automated and scaled across retail.

Decreased privacy protections and scams...