U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at unifying artificial intelligence regulation at the federal level, limiting the ability of individual states to set their own rules.

The order said U.S. AI companies must be able to innovate freely without being constrained by burdensome regulation in order to remain competitive, arguing that “excessive state-level regulation” has become an obstacle to that goal.

It warned that divergent rules adopted by individual states could result in a patchwork of up to 50 different regulatory regimes, complicating compliance and placing a disproportionate burden on startups. The order calls for the creation of a nationwide standard designed to impose the “least possible burden” on the industry.

The directive also instructs the attorney general to establish a special AI litigation task force, whose sole responsibility will be to challenge state-level AI laws that conflict with the executive order.

Some U.S. technology companies have long opposed stricter regulation, and local media described the move as a victory for the sector. Critics, however, warned that the policy could weaken oversight of artificial intelligence and increase potential risks.