April 24, 2026
WASHINGTON — A sweeping wave of state-level AI legislation is moving across the United States, with lawmakers from Alabama to California passing new laws governing how artificial intelligence can be used in education, healthcare, elections, and public life — even as the White House pushes for federal preemption to prevent a patchwork of conflicting regulations from stifling innovation.
Idaho lawmakers approved four AI-related bills, all set to take effect on July 1, 2026. Among them, SB 1227 establishes provisions around the use of generative AI in public education, while SB 1297 establishes the Conversational AI Safety Act, a chatbot safety bill targeting how AI-powered conversational systems interact with the public. Transparencycoalition
Alabama passed SB 63, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on April 17, which regulates the use of artificial intelligence in determinations of coverage by healthcare plans — a significant step in the use of AI in insurance decision-making. Transparencycoalition
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed amendments to the state’s Responsible AI Safety and Education Act on March 27, 2026, shifting it toward a transparency and reporting-based framework that aligns more closely with California’s Transparency in Frontier AI Act. The amendments introduced model-level obligations including transparency and reporting on training, deployment, safety protocols, and incidents. Cooley
At the federal level, the White House recently released its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, urging Congress to enact sweeping AI legislation that would preempt certain state AI laws, with a focus on preventing regulations that risk stifling innovation or creating undue burdens on developers. Cooley
Meanwhile, the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus proposal — currently advancing through the EU legislative process — would delay the application of certain high-risk AI requirements and make targeted changes to governance provisions, with EU institutions actively considering pushing key compliance deadlines to 2027 and 2028. Cooley
The legislative surge reflects a global recognition that AI governance can no longer wait. Whether the resulting landscape emerges as a coherent framework or a conflicting maze of state-by-state rules may depend largely on whether Congress acts before the patchwork becomes permanent.
