Privacy, Power, and the AI Panic: How States Are Threatening Free Speech

In this episode of American Potential , host David From sits down with Scott Blackburn, a First Amendment policy expert, to explore how state lawmakers are quietly chipping away at free speech and donor privacy. Blackburn explains how proposed laws across the country could expose nonprofit donors, chill civic participation, and give politicians new tools to silence their critics. He also breaks down the growing wave of legislation aimed at regulating AI in political speech—and how vague definitions could turn simple campaign graphics or video edits into “AI manipulation.” From New Mexico’s one-word bill that nearly forced every charity to reveal its supporters to efforts that disguise domestic disclosure mandates as “foreign interference” bans, Blackburn shows how these measures threaten the fundamental right to speak and associate freely. Tune in as American Potential reveals what’s really at stake in the fight to protect privacy, free expression, and the open exchange of ideas.