US States Enact 280 AI Measures in 2026

Oct 21, 2026
US state lawmakers introduced 1,539 AI bills and enacted or adopted 280 through early October 2026. Deepfakes, disclosure requirements and frontier model oversight were among the main subjects.

US state lawmakers introduced 1,539 AI bills and enacted or adopted 280 through early October 2026, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which published the figures on its website. In 2025, lawmakers introduced 1,262 bills and enacted or adopted 227.

Proposals requiring companies to notify people when they are interacting with AI nearly tripled in 2026. Deepfake legislation was the most common type enacted, covering explicit content, political advertising and digital likenesses. Other measures addressed AI use in health care and education.

Two comprehensive AI bills became law in 2026: Colorado SB 189 and Connecticut SB 5. Illinois SB 315 requires third party audits for frontier models, while New York SB 8828 establishes safety and transparency requirements.

Congress is considering the Kids Online Safety Act, the App Store Accountability Act and the Great American AI Act. The Great American AI Act would require large AI developers to publish plans addressing potential catastrophic risks from their models.

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