Disruption

S.C. lawmaker champions AI innovation over regulation

Rep. Jeff Bradley wants to make the state ‘fertile ground’ for developing the technology.

Austin Jenkins

06:00 AM, Aug 29, 2025

South Carolina Republican Rep. Jeff Bradley of Hilton Head Island, left, and Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope of York, right,look at one of Scout Motors concept vehicles at the South Carolina Statehouse on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

An influential South Carolina lawmaker is zagging against the trend in other states to regulate artificial intelligence, instead adopting a faith in the technology’s power to transform his state’s economy. 

Rep. Jeff Bradley (R) says he wants to make South Carolina “fertile ground” for AI development by reducing barriers, rather than establishing guardrails.

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