WA SB6284: Providing consumer protections for artificial intelligence systems.

In one paragraph

Washington's SB 6284 (1st substitute, 2026 session) would have required developers and deployers of high-risk AI systems used to make, or be a substantial factor in, consequential decisions on employment, housing, insurance, health care, education, lending, legal services and similar matters to guard against algorithmic discrimination. Deployer duties would start July 1, 2027, consumer notice July 1, 2026, and only the Attorney General could enforce. It cleared Senate Environment, Energy & Technology on February 3, 2026, was heard in Ways & Means on February 6, and died at adjournment on March 12.

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

What it means for business

None: the bill did not pass. It would have required deployers and developers of high-risk AI used for consequential decisions to assess risk, notify consumers and document their systems.

Key provisions

1. 1High-risk AI system: specifically intended to autonomously make, or be a substantial factor in making, a consequential decision; excludes narrow procedural tasks, improving a completed human activity, certain security and utility tools, and natural-language tools under an acceptable use policy (Sec. 2)
2. 2Deployers from July 1, 2027 must use industry-standard means against known or reasonably foreseeable algorithmic discrimination, review each system by July 1, 2027 and at least annually, and notify the Attorney General within 90 days of discovering discrimination (Sec. 3)
3. 3Risk management policy and program, which may follow the NIST AI Risk Management Framework or ISO/IEC 42001 (Sec. 4); developer risk programs, with developers under 50 full-time equivalent employees exempt (Sec. 5)
4. 4Impact assessments, repeated within 90 days of an intentional and substantial modification, with records kept at least three years (Sec. 6); small-deployer exemption (Sec. 7)
5. 5Consumer notice before a high-risk system makes or substantially factors into a consequential decision, starting July 1, 2026 (Sec. 8)
6. 6Government agencies offering AI systems that interact with consumers must disclose that fact clearly in plain language without dark patterns (Sec. 11)
7. 7Attorney General only; violations are Consumer Protection Act violations after 45 days' notice, first violations curable within 60 days; no private right of action (Sec. 10)
8. 8Companion HB 2667 did not advance past first reading. Died at adjournment March 12, 2026; no general effective date in the text

Latest legislative action

Feb 6, 2026. Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

Sponsors (showing 5 of 17)

Related and companion bills

• Washington HB2667Providing consumer protections for artificial intelligence systems.