AI regulation: A state-by-state roundup of AI bills

Wondering where AI regulation stands in your state? Today, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) released The State of State AI Policy, a roundup of AI-related bills at the state and local level that were passed, introduced or failed in the 2021-2022 legislative session (EPIC gave VentureBeat permission to reprint the full roundup below).

Within the past year, according to the document (which was compiled by summer clerk Caroline Kraczon), states and localities have passed or introduced bills “regulating artificial intelligence or establishing commissions or task forces to seek transparency about the use of AI in their state or locality.”

For example, Alabama, Colorado, Illinois and Vermont have passed bills creating a commission, task force or oversight position to evaluate the use of AI in their states and make recommendations regarding its use. Alabama, Colorado, Illinois and Mississippi have passed bills that limit the use of AI in their states. And Baltimore and New York City have passed local bills that would prohibit the use of algorithmic decision-making in a discriminatory manner.

Ben Winters, EPIC’s counsel and leader of EPIC’s AI and Human Rights Project, said the information was something he had wanted to get in one single document for a long time.

“State policy in general is really hard to follow, so the idea was to get a sort of zoomed-out picture of what has been introduced and what has passed, so that at the next session everyone is prepared to move the good bills along,” he said.

Fragmented state and local AI legislation

The list of varied laws makes clear the fragmentation of legislation around the use of AI in the US – as opposed to the broad mandate of a proposed regulatory framework around the use of AI in the European Union.

But Winters said while state laws can be confusing or frustrating – for example, if vendors have to deal with different state laws regulating AI in government contracting — the advantage is that comprehensive bills can tend to get watered down.

“Also, when bills are passed affecting businesses in huge states such as, say, California, it basically creates a standard,” he said. “We’d love to see strong legislation passed nationwide, but from my perspective right now state-level policy could yield stronger outcomes.”[…]

Fragmented state and local AI legislation

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