AI Laws & Regulations by State

Understanding AI Regulation Across the United States

The landscape of artificial intelligence regulation in the United States is defined by its state-by-state approach. Unlike the European Union's centralized AI Act, the US has no single federal AI law. Instead, individual states are crafting their own frameworks — creating a complex patchwork of requirements that businesses must navigate jurisdiction by jurisdiction. The volume of AI bills has grown dramatically since 2016, accelerating sharply in 2023–2026.

As of 2026, AI legislation spans a broad range of categories including automated hiring and employment decisions, algorithmic discrimination and bias, deepfake and synthetic media disclosure, healthcare AI regulation, consumer data and privacy protections, AI transparency and labeling mandates, and high-risk AI system governance.

Key State AI Laws to Know in 2026

• Colorado ADMT Act (SB 26-189) — Repeals and replaces the Colorado AI Act (SB 24-205), whose duties became operative June 30, 2026. Requires pre-use notices, adverse-outcome explanations, and human-review rights for automated consequential decisions. Applies from January 1, 2027.
• California AI Transparency Act (SB 942) — Mandates disclosure of AI-generated content and establishes transparency requirements for AI systems deployed in the state.
• Texas TRAIGA — The Texas Responsible AI Governance Act establishes a framework for AI oversight and industry self-governance.
• Illinois AI Video Interview Act — Requires employer consent and notification when AI is used to analyze video interviews of job candidates.
• NYC Local Law 144 — Mandates annual bias audits for automated employment decision tools used in hiring within New York City.
• Utah AI Policy Act (SB 149) — Requires disclosure when consumers interact with AI systems, applicable across all industries.

For a comprehensive view of AI legislation in any state, click on the state above to see all published AI bills, their status, risk classifications, and affected industries. For compliance tools and deadline tracking, explore our Deadline Calendar, Penalty Tracker, and Bill Comparator.

State Compliance Guides

For the most active AI legislatures, each state page lists every law with its status and deadlines, and each compliance guide explains what businesses have to do:

• California AI laws 2026 · how to comply
• Colorado AI Act 2026: SB 26-189 Replaces SB 24-205
• New York AI laws 2026 · how to comply
• Illinois AI laws 2026 · how to comply
• Virginia AI laws 2026 · how to comply
• New Jersey AI laws 2026 · how to comply
• Hawaii AI laws 2026 · how to comply

Deadlines, Enforcement and Federal Rules

State laws are only part of the picture. Check the state AI compliance and certification deadlines sorted by date (or the AI compliance deadline calendar), the record of AI enforcement actions by the FTC, EEOC and state attorneys general, federal AI policy and executive orders, and the EU AI Act compliance guide for US companies. For a single overview, read state AI laws: the complete 50-state guide; for disclosure rules, AI transparency laws by state; for penalties, the deepfake penalty tracker; and for infrastructure, data center moratorium bills by state.

For topic-specific guides covering multiple states, see our articles on deepfake laws, AI hiring laws, and AI law penalties and enforcement.