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Employees of AI companies are giving feedback to the U.S. government on its involvement around safety and oversight of frontier AI models, large-scale foundational models, in two vastly different ways. State regulators are banning together around AI-related cybersecurity and data privacy oversight efforts.
Earlier this week, the President and top officials met with technology companies to discuss a framework for government review of frontier AI models before they launch, which has not been publicly released. The discussions are a continuation of the President’s June AI Executive Order 14409. Last week, a letter signed by over 1,000 frontier AI company employees was released requesting “the U.S. government support an international effort to develop the technical and governance tools needed to deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development.”
This week, Attorneys General from 15 states sent a letter to the CEO of OpenAI raising questions regarding a recent security breach and requesting the company preserve records related to the incident in case legal action is sought. Privacy regulators from across the U.S. have come together to establish the Consortium of Privacy Regulators to share resources and coordinate efforts to investigate potential violations of applicable laws. Attorneys General from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont are involved in the effort.
State Policy Action
CA: The California Privacy Protection Agency Board (CPPA) met this week. On the agenda was discussion on rules related to opt-out preferences and data broker registration. CPPA staff also gave a sneak peak of upcoming legislative priorities. The California Privacy Protection Agency is requesting technical input on emerging technologies automation capabilities intersection with data processing statutory requirements.
CO: Last week, young Coloradans on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council pitched policy proposals to state legislators. Policy proposals focused on social media and AI regulation. You can watch the hearing here. At the same time, 90 students from across the U.S. came together for America’s Youth AI Festival, during a mock legislative session that resulted in a student-led AI policy.
MI: The dust is settling from Michigan's primary and state legislators come back from recess next week. In the last few weeks, state legislators have been finalizing decisions on what should make up the state’s budget.
The Department of Education can use up to $250 thousand to develop model AI policies and support school districts with AI implementation.
The City of Detroit will establish an AI and robotics workforce training program with $740 thousand.
The Michigan Virtual University received funding to develop a statewide hub for AI-related best practices.
OH: Last week, state legislators introduced a new data center focused bill (HB 983) that would require voter approval before a large-scale data center is built, prohibits future local tax incentives, and transparency reporting, among other requirements.
PA: The ink is drying on the state’s 2026-2027 budget. A few weeks ago the Governor signed the budget which includes technology-focused initiatives such as:
Continued support for the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) to improve state government online services for residents. According to the Governor’s announcement, the initiative has saved taxpayers over $37 million by leveraging state government talent to lead digital product projects instead of relying on outside vendors. For example, a new digital service available is a searchable directory of 300 state grant programs.
$10 million dollar investment in cybersecurity infrastructure.
$7 million to modernize Pennsylavia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program by using technology to randomize transaction numbers and fraud protection.
Over $35 thousand (SB 146) for a training program for law enforcement officers who respond to incidents involving online child exploitation, child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence, sextortion, unlawful dissemination of intimate images or other related Internet-facilitated crimes against children.
MA: In the last few weeks, the State Senate passed a $325 million economic development bill that includes an AI investment of $75 million and a robotics-focused investment of $25 million. The legislation also requires large AI developers to create and adhere to safety frameworks.
NC: The Governor signed the 2026-2027 state budget (SB 257) in July. The budget includes language for school districts to access an AI chatbot and lesson plan development assistant from two companies. The investment requires a study to be conducted to measure the effectiveness of these tools. There are also new requirements for school boards to adopt instruction standards around AI literacy. The state’s department of education is required to create and share a model AI use policy and local school boards are required to adopt AI use policies for students and staff. A new AI tool evaluation framework is also required.
Did you know? Almost all states (except Vermont) have a constitutional or statutory requirement to balance the state’s operating budget.
WA: In July, the Washington State Artificial Intelligence Task Force released their final report required by the state legislature to recommend policy proposals to the Legislature and the Governor. With the announcement, the Attorney General commented on the taskforce work. “Washington does not have to choose between embracing innovation and protecting people. The goal has always been to find a balance that ensures that as AI continues to evolve it does so in a way that works for everyone, not just the companies developing it.”
How is state technology-focused legislation holding up in the courts?
Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court stepped in to allow the enforcement of a 2025 Texas law that requires parental consent and age verification for app store purchases.
Minnesota state legislators passed a law (HF 1606) this year banning the use of technology that creates nude photos of real people. Before the law was scheduled to go into effect on August 1, x.AI sued the state of Minnesota and requested a temporary restraining order to pause enforcement of the law. The courts sided with the state, rejecting this request.
Earlier this week, TikTok settled three social media lawsuits alleging TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and Snapchat contributed to addiction and self-harm.
Yesterday, a New Mexico judge ruled in the second part of a case against Meta that the company violated state law by being a public nuisance and contributing to adverse impacts on New Mexico’s youth, like the state’s youth mental health crisis. The company must pay the state $567 million, totaling $942 million including a ruling for the first part of the trial in March. Money paid to the state will go into a fund towards treatment, awareness, prevention and other measures. Additionally, the ruling specifies the company must deploy specific settings and platform design decisions for New Mexico users including more accurate age assurance, monthly limits on usage, among other requirements.
U.S. Department of State
Center for Democracy & Technology
Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy
Tech Policy & Governance Jobs
Company/Organization: | Title: | Closing Date: |
|---|---|---|
The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) | 08/31/2026 | |
The California Council of Science Technology | Ongoing | |
Horizon Institute for Public Service | 08/30/2026 | |
AI Societal Impact Lab | Ongoing | |
Rebuild Local News | Ongoing | |
University of Michigan | 09/20/2026 | |
The UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity Initiative | 08/12/2026 | |
AAAS | Ongoing | |
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy | 08/09/2026 | |
The Center for AI Safety Action Fund | Ongoing |
Do you have leads, tips, corrections, feedback or resources you would like to share? Send your advice to [email protected].
Disclosure: This is a human-written and driven publication. As a small business owner and mighty team of 1, I use AI tools to optimize my small business operations as a part of my admin tech stack. Regarding this publication, AI is mainly used to help with catchy titles, as a thesaurus when writing and a partner when creating cartoons. (Thanks, Canva, and not an ad!) As a secret doodler, I add my human touch using my digital pad and pen. I also use Grammarly, with AI built in, to help with copy editing/grammar check (again, mighty team of one!) Thanks for reading. 😊
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