US AI law, in 12 questions

The United States regulates AI through absence at the top and density below: no federal statute, eleven state regimes, one executive order trying to erase them, and enforcement that runs from attorney general suits to private class actions. These are the questions practitioners actually ask, answered plainly, current to August 2026.

Is there a federal AI law in the United States?

No. Congress has passed no comprehensive AI statute, and none is close. The federal layer is executive action: Executive Order 14365 (December 2025) directs the Justice Department to challenge state AI laws and pressures states through funding, and agencies apply existing law, the FTC on deception, the EEOC on hiring. Until a statute or court ruling says otherwise, the federal picture is a posture, not a rulebook, and the operative law lives in the states.

Which US states have AI laws in 2026?

Eleven are worth tracking. Texas, Illinois, Utah, Tennessee, and Montana have AI laws in force. California, Washington, and Connecticut are partially in force with more arriving. Colorado and New York have laws taking effect January 1, 2027. Virginia passed a comprehensive bill and watched it die by veto. The state tracker sorts all eleven by status, effective date, and enforcement.

What is TRAIGA?

The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, effective January 1, 2026. It bans specific harmful uses by intent, manipulation, unlawful discrimination, and certain biometric captures, rather than regulating high-risk categories wholesale. Enforcement belongs to the attorney general alone, with no private lawsuits, and civil penalties run from $10,000 to $200,000 per violation. The Texas entry has the full structure.

Is Colorado's AI Act still law?

No. SB 24-205, the first comprehensive state AI law in the country, was repealed before it ever took effect. Its replacement is narrower: an automated decision-making technology law effective January 1, 2027, focused on consequential decisions, with attorney-general enforcement. The Colorado entry tracks the whole arc, passage, repeal, and replacement.

Do New York City employers still need bias audits for hiring tools?

Yes. Local Law 144 remains in force: annual independent bias audits for automated employment decision tools, published results, and advance notice to candidates. Separately, New York State enacted a frontier AI law taking effect January 1, 2027. Both live on the New York entry.

Does BIPA apply to AI systems?

Directly. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act requires written consent before collecting biometric identifiers, faceprints and voiceprints included, which is exactly what many AI systems process. It carries statutory damages per violation and a private right of action, the combination behind the largest AI-adjacent settlements in the country. The Illinois entry covers BIPA alongside the state's hiring and frontier laws.

Do you have to label AI-generated content in the US?

There is no general federal labeling duty. The sharpest obligation is California's AI Transparency Act, operative August 2, 2026: large generative providers must offer a free detection tool, apply visible disclosures, and embed latent, machine-readable disclosures in AI image, video, and audio content. Washington passed a provenance law in 2026, and many states regulate election deepfakes. The transparency topic compares every regime.

What did Executive Order 14365 actually do to state AI laws?

Less than the headlines suggested, so far. It created a DOJ litigation task force to challenge state AI laws and threatened federal funding, but no state law has been struck down, and every one remains enforceable while the constitutional fight plays out. Compliance advice across the bar is uniform: do not wait for preemption that may take years. The federal entry tracks the order and its deadlines.

Which state AI law has the most teeth?

Illinois, by structure. BIPA's private right of action with stacking statutory damages produces the largest real-world exposure, and the new Safety Measures Act adds mandatory independent audits for frontier developers from 2028. California regulates the most conduct; Texas caps exposure by reserving enforcement to the attorney general. The penalty comparison puts all of them side by side.

What is the frontier-model template states are converging on?

Three states now share one design: California's SB 53, New York's RAISE Act, and Illinois' Safety Measures Act all target models trained past 10^26 operations by developers above $500 million in revenue, and all require published safety frameworks, transparency reports, incident reporting, and whistleblower protection. Illinois adds the piece the others lack, annual independent third-party audits. A de facto national standard is forming in statehouses, not in Washington.

What US AI rules took effect on August 2, 2026?

California's AI Transparency Act reached its operative date, the first wave of visible and latent disclosure duties plus the free detection tool for large generative providers. The date was chosen deliberately to match the EU's Article 50 transparency deadline, so August 2 became the first synchronized compliance date across the Atlantic. The deadline calendar tracks what comes next.

Are AI hiring tools regulated in the US?

Yes, in layers. Illinois requires notice and consent for AI in hiring under HB 3773. New York City mandates bias audits under Local Law 144. Colorado's 2027 law covers employment as a consequential decision. And the EEOC applies longstanding discrimination law to algorithmic tools everywhere. The employment topic lines up every regime that touches hiring.