As part of the budget legislation being debated on Capitol Hill, the Senate this week rejected an amendment that would have prohibited states from regulating artificial intelligence. Backers of the amendment feared, with some merit, that a patchwork of rules would slow down technological development. But the amendment went too far.

The answer to this problem is not to prevent states from protecting their citizens from Big Tech’s excesses; it’s for the federal government to do so itself. Congress must create guardrails and set out a clear set of rules to ensure AI’s development is beneficial for us all. And there’s no time to waste.