US HB8094: AI Foundation Model Transparency Act of 2026

In one paragraph

The federal H.R. 8094 (AI Foundation Model Transparency Act of 2026) would direct the FTC to issue regulations within 1 year of enactment requiring covered foundation model providers to submit information to the FTC and publish details on training data, testing and operations. Fully open-source models would be exempt. Referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee March 26, 2026; it has not passed either house.

Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.

What it means for business

If enacted, covered foundation model providers (high-risk capabilities, over 10 million monthly users or downloads, or over 10^26 training operations) would have to follow FTC transparency rules; fully open-source models would be exempt.

Key provisions

1. 1FTC, consulting NIST and others, must promulgate regulations within 1 year of enactment; they apply 90 days after promulgation (Sec. 2(a), (h))
2. 2Required public information includes training data sources and collection, data governance, intended purposes and risks, languages supported, benchmark performance and compute used (Sec. 2(b))
3. 3Covered entities are providers of foundation models with high-risk capabilities, over 10,000,000 monthly users or downloads, or training compute over 10^26 operations (Sec. 2(l))
4. 4A fully open-source model is exempt; small and new businesses get a plan to assist compliance and a three-month grace period without penalties
5. 5A violation of the regulations would be treated as a violation of an FTC unfair or deceptive practices rule, enforced by the FTC, which must give 14 days' notice of covered-entity status before enforcement
6. 6FTC must report to Congress within 1 year of enactment and create a resources web page for non-covered developers

Latest legislative action

Mar 26, 2026. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.