We found no single US law that covers AI as a whole. Rules come from federal orders and agencies, from laws passed by individual states, and from court rulings. States have been the most active. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported 1,539 state AI bills introduced in 2026 and 280 enacted as of early October. The federal government is now debating how far to limit them.
01The federal layer: orders, proposals and one pending bill
At the federal level, most recent AI action has come from the White House. Executive Order 14365 of December 2025 states a goal of one national AI standard and directs federal challenges to some state laws. The White House then sent Congress legislative recommendations in March 2026. They ask Congress to override state AI laws that impose undue burdens, while leaving states in charge of general child-protection, fraud and consumer laws, data center zoning, and their own use of AI.
Congress has not enacted that request. One House bill, the FRONTIER Act, would bar states from adding new obligations on AI developers in three areas: transparency about catastrophic risk, independent auditing, and incident reporting. It leaves state laws that apply to everyone, child safety rules and state government purchasing alone. On 24 October 2026 it was introduced but not passed.
02The state layer: five laws, each with its official page
Counts from the National Conference of State Legislatures show how busy states are: 1,262 AI bills introduced and 227 enacted in 2025, and 1,539 introduced and 280 enacted in 2026 as of early October. It also says bills requiring notice that a person is dealing with AI nearly tripled in 2026.
States are acting on different parts of AI. These five show the range. Each link goes to the state's own page, and details can change when a legislature amends a law.
- Colorado. SB 26-189, signed 14 May 2026, replaces the state's 2024 AI law with notice, data access and human review rights for automated decisions, enforced by the attorney general. Developer duties start 1 January 2027.
- California. SB 53, signed 29 September 2025, requires large frontier AI developers to publish a safety framework, protects whistleblowers, and creates a way to report critical safety incidents to the state's emergency office.
- Texas. HB 149, signed 22 June 2025 and effective 1 January 2026, is called the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. Its official caption describes regulation of AI systems with civil penalties.
- New York. The RAISE Act, signed 19 December 2025, requires the largest frontier model developers to publish safety protocols and report incidents within 72 hours. The attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $10 million for a first violation.
- Illinois. Public Act 103-0804 (HB 3773) amends the Human Rights Act. From 1 January 2026, an employer commits a violation by using AI that discriminates in hiring or other employment decisions, or by not telling employees AI is used.
The National Conference of State Legislatures lists Colorado's SB 189 and Connecticut's SB 5 as the two comprehensive AI laws enacted in 2026. It says deepfake bills were the most common type enacted.
03Where federal and state rules meet
The two levels overlap on topics such as frontier model safety, hiring tools and chatbots. The White House has said it wants one national standard. States have kept writing their own. How that overlap is settled is still open.
Some areas are not in dispute. The December order and the March recommendations both keep child-safety laws largely in state hands.
04How to find the AI rules in your state
This is general information, not legal advice. For a business, school or workplace decision, ask a lawyer licensed in your state, or your state attorney general's office.
- Open your state legislature's website and search enacted bills for "artificial intelligence".
- Use the National Conference of State Legislatures AI legislation database, which it updates monthly, to see bills by state and topic.
- Read the effective date. Many AI laws start months after signing.
- Check who is covered, such as developers, employers or consumer-facing businesses.
- Look at your state attorney general's website for guidance and a complaint form.
?What is not known
- Whether the NCSL totals will change as it adds late-2026 enactments. Its figures were as of early October.
- Whether the New York RAISE Act was amended after signing. The Senate page shows the text we read, so check it for the current version.
- Whether Congress will limit state AI laws and where it would draw the line.
- How courts will treat challenges to state AI laws. The Colorado case is an example.
QQuestions people ask
Can a state pass its own AI law?
Yes, and many have. A federal order or bill can aim to limit them, but we found no federal law that does so as of 24 October 2026. A court can also decide that a state law conflicts with federal law.
Which state has the strictest AI law?
We do not rank states. Laws differ in topic, from frontier models to hiring to chatbots, so a ranking would compare unlike things. Read the page for the state that matters to you.
Do these laws apply to me as a user of chatbots?
Most of the laws above place duties on developers, employers or businesses, not on ordinary users. Check each law's list of who is covered before drawing a conclusion.
Last checked October 24, 2026. Rules and settings change, so open the source to see the current version.
- Executive Order 14365, Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence Federal Register The December 2025 order; we used it for the one-standard goal and the exceptions it names.
- National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, Legislative Recommendations The White House The March 2026 recommendations; we used them for the request to override burdensome state laws and the carve-outs.
- FRONTIER Act, H.R. 9925 Congress.gov The introduced bill text; we used its section on state laws.
- Colorado SB26-189, Automated Decision-Making Technology Colorado General Assembly The bill page; we used it for the signing date, rights and start dates.
- Governor signs SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act Office of the Governor of California The September 2025 release; we used it for what the law requires.
- Texas HB 149, bill history Texas Legislature Online The bill page with caption, signing date and effective date.
- New York RAISE Act, Senate bill S6953 New York State Senate The bill page; we used it for signing date, who is covered, incident reporting and penalties.
- Illinois Public Act 103-0804 (HB 3773) Illinois General Assembly The enrolled law text; we used it for the employment AI rule and effective date.
- As Congress deliberates, states lead the way on AI regulation National Conference of State Legislatures A 21 October 2026 article; we used it for bill counts and the comprehensive laws enacted in 2026.
General information, not legal, medical, financial or investment advice. We are not affiliated with any company, agency or standards body named here. See our editorial policy and corrections, or tell us about a mistake at [email protected].