Connecticut enacted the CART Act (SB 5, Public Act 26-15) on May 27, 2026, after Senator Maroney's framework bills passed the Senate in 2024 and 2025 without becoming law. The act regulates named uses: automated employment decision tools, AI companions, frontier-developer whistleblower protections, content provenance, AI-related layoff disclosures, and online safety for minors. Public Act 26-100, approved June 2, 2026, replaced its subscription rule and moved its verification pilot to October 2027. Most provisions take effect October 1, 2026, the companion rules on January 1, 2027, developer and deployer duties for employment tools deployed from October 1, 2027, and platform duties for minors on January 1, 2028. A separate 2026 law bans surveillance pricing by retailers and delivery services from July 1, 2027.
Key points
- SB 5, the CART Act, was signed May 27, 2026, after the 2025 version died under veto threat. The final text requires a plan for an AI regulatory sandbox and adds youth online-safety provisions.
- The act covers named uses (employment tools, companions, frontier developers, provenance, and minors online), with duties phasing in from October 1, 2026, when the first wave took effect, to January 1, 2028. It sets no general risk-management regime.
- The Connecticut Data Privacy Act's profiling and automated-decision provisions already apply to AI.
- A separate law, Public Act 26-130, bans surveillance pricing by retailers and delivery services from July 1, 2027.
Laws and instruments
Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency Act (CART Act)
SB 5, Public Act 26-15; signed May 27, 2026
A 39-section omnibus that regulates named uses: automated employment decision tools (developer information duties and deployer notices for tools deployed from October 1, 2027, and using a tool is no longer a defense to discrimination claims), AI companions with protections for minors, frontier-developer whistleblower protections, generative content provenance, AI-related layoff disclosures in WARN notices, and online safety duties for platforms used by minors. The employment-tool rules are enforced by the attorney general as an unfair trade practice, with a 60-day cure period for violations through 2027 and no private right of action. A follow-up law, Public Act 26-100 (approved June 2, 2026), replaced the act's subscription rule with a narrower one from October 1, 2026 and moved its Department of Consumer Protection pilot for independent verification organizations to October 1, 2027, running to March 31, 2031.
Effective: Most provisions October 1, 2026; AI companions January 1, 2027; employment-tool duties for tools deployed from October 1, 2027; verification pilot October 1, 2027 (Public Act 26-100); platform duties for minors January 1, 2028
Surveillance pricing limits (Public Act 26-130)
HB 5563, section 11; approved June 4, 2026
Bars retail sellers and third-party delivery services from surveillance pricing, meaning prices customized to a consumer from personal data gathered through tracking technology, and requires other businesses that use it online to label the price 'THIS PRICE WAS INCREASED USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.' Discounts, loyalty programs, and cost-based price differences are exempt. Earlier 2026 versions were repealed before they took effect.
Effective: July 1, 2027
Timeline
- 2024
SB 2 framework passes the Senate, stalls in the House.
- 2025
Framework passes the Senate again without enactment.
- May 27, 2026
SB 5, the CART Act, signed as Public Act 26-15 after the 2025 framework died under veto threat.
- June 2, 2026
Public Act 26-100 revises the CART Act, replacing its subscription rule and moving the verification pilot to October 1, 2027.
- June 4, 2026
Surveillance pricing limits enacted in Public Act 26-130, effective July 1, 2027.
- September 16, 2026
Attorney General Tong sets out the rights and requirements taking effect October 1 under the CART Act and the amended privacy law.
- September 24, 2026
Attorney General Tong joins 24 other state attorneys general in a letter urging Congress to regulate AI without displacing state oversight.
- October 1, 2026
Most CART Act provisions take effect: the anti-discrimination amendment, frontier whistleblower protections, WARN AI disclosures, provenance rules, and a narrower subscription rule (Public Act 26-100).
- October 13, 2026
The attorney general and the consumer counsel petition the utility regulator to review how public utilities use AI.
- October 14, 2026
Connecticut and 39 other attorneys general file a notice in Character.AI's bankruptcy seeking privacy and safety protections in any sale.
- January 1, 2027
AI companion requirements take effect, and large frontier developers must have an internal process for anonymous employee reports.
- July 1, 2027
Surveillance pricing limits take effect.
- October 1, 2027
Developer and deployer duties apply to automated employment decision tools deployed from this date; the verification-organization pilot begins.
- January 1, 2028
Online safety duties for platforms used by minors take effect.
Who it applies to
Developers and deployers of automated employment decision tools, AI companion operators, frontier developers, providers of generative content and subscription AI services, employers giving layoff notices, and platforms used by minors, as each duty phases in between October 1, 2026 and January 1, 2028. Retailers and delivery services fall under the surveillance-pricing ban from July 1, 2027.
Penalties
Violations of the employment-tool rules are unfair trade practices enforced only by the attorney general, who may allow 60 days to cure violations through 2027. There is no private right of action.
Recent developments
October 14, 2026
Connecticut Attorney General
Forty attorneys general press for privacy and safety terms in any sale of Character.AI
Attorneys general from 39 states and the District of Columbia filed a notice in the bankruptcy case of Character Technologies, the company behind Character.AI, asking that any sale or transfer of its business or assets carry privacy and safety protections for children and other users. They said the company holds a large volume of sensitive data, including private chatbot conversations, and that its voluntary limits on minors' access are not compulsory and could be reversed by a buyer. The states reserve the right to object to any proposed sale or plan.
Common questions
Does Connecticut have a comprehensive AI law?
Not a comprehensive one. Connecticut enacted the CART Act (SB 5, Public Act 26-15) on May 27, 2026, after Senator Maroney's framework bills passed the Senate in 2024 and 2025 without becoming law. The act regulates named uses: automated employment decision tools, AI companions, frontier-developer whistleblower protections, content provenance, AI-related layoff disclosures, and online safety for minors. Public Act 26-100, approved June 2, 2026, replaced its subscription rule and moved its verification pilot to October 2027. Most provisions take effect October 1, 2026, the companion rules on January 1, 2027, developer and deployer duties for employment tools deployed from October 1, 2027, and platform duties for minors on January 1, 2028. A separate 2026 law bans surveillance pricing by retailers and delivery services from July 1, 2027.
What are the penalties for AI violations in Connecticut?
Violations of the employment-tool rules are unfair trade practices enforced only by the attorney general, who may allow 60 days to cure violations through 2027. There is no private right of action.
Who does AI regulation in Connecticut apply to?
Developers and deployers of automated employment decision tools, AI companion operators, frontier developers, providers of generative content and subscription AI services, employers giving layoff notices, and platforms used by minors, as each duty phases in between October 1, 2026 and January 1, 2028. Retailers and delivery services fall under the surveillance-pricing ban from July 1, 2027.
Cite this page
Artificial Intelligence Regulations, "AI Regulation in Connecticut," reviewed October 26, 2026, https://artificialintelligenceregulations.com/jurisdictions/connecticut.html.
Entries state the position as of the review date and link to the primary text for verification.
