United States
AI behavior law at the national level and in subnational jurisdictions.
Federal / national law
Summary
The United States has no comprehensive federal AI-behavior statute as of mid-2026. Federal AI governance operates primarily through executive-branch policy — successive OMB memoranda (M-25-21, April 2025) require agencies to inventory, risk-manage, and disclose their AI systems — while the FTC applies Section 5 of the FTC Act to unfair or deceptive AI practices by private actors. The only enacted federal statute directly targeting AI-generated synthetic media is the TAKE IT DOWN Act (Pub. L. 119-12, May 2025), which criminalizes nonconsensual publication of deepfake intimate images and requires covered platforms to remove such content within 48 hours. A wave of proposed bills in the 119th Congress addresses automated decision-making transparency (Algorithmic Accountability Act, S.2164), AI training-data disclosure (TRAIN Act, H.R.7209/S.2455), chatbot safety for minors (SAFE BOTs Act, H.R.6489; CHATBOT Act, H.R.7985), deepfake political ads (Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, S.1213), and AI voice/likeness protection (NO FAKES Act, H.R.2794), but none beyond TAKE IT DOWN have been enacted. The Trump administration's December 2025 National AI Policy Framework executive order directs the FTC to clarify its AI deception standards and initiates a federal preemption strategy against conflicting state AI laws.
Enacted law
Government obligations
| Instrument | Category | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advancing American AI Act (Pub. L. 117-263, Div. G, Title LVIII (FY2023 NDAA)) | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | 2022-12-23 | https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1353/text |
| AI in Government Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-260, Div. U, Title I (2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act)) | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | 2020-12-27 | https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107933 |
| Executive Order 14179 — Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (Exec. Order No. 14179, 90 Fed. Reg. 8741 (Jan. 31, 2025)) | Automated decision-making | 2025-01-23 | https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence/ |
| Executive Order — Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (Exec. Order (Dec. 11, 2025)) | Automated decision-making | 2025-12-11 | https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/ |
| OMB Memorandum M-25-21 — Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust (OMB Memo M-25-21 (Apr. 3, 2025)) | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | 2025-04-03 | https://digitalgovernmenthub.org/examples/omb-m-25-21-accelerating-federal-use-of-ai-through-innovation-governance-and-public-trust/ |
| OMB Memorandum M-26-04 — Increasing Public Trust in AI Through Unbiased AI Principles (OMB Memo M-26-04 (Dec. 11, 2025)) | Bot / agent disclosure, Automated decision-making | 2025-12-11 | https://www.fiddler.ai/blog/omb-m-26-04 |
| TAKE IT DOWN Act — Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes On Websites and Networks (Pub. L. 119-12, S. 146, 119th Cong. (2025)) | Bot / agent disclosure | 2025-05-19 | https://www.lw.com/en/insights/president-trump-signs-take-it-down-act-into-law |
Private sector obligations
| Instrument | Category | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order — Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (Exec. Order (Dec. 11, 2025)) | Automated decision-making | 2025-12-11 | https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/ |
| FTC Act Section 5 — Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (AI enforcement) (15 U.S.C. § 45) | Bot / agent disclosure | 1914-09-26 | https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-announces-crackdown-deceptive-ai-claims-schemes |
| TAKE IT DOWN Act — Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes On Websites and Networks (Pub. L. 119-12, S. 146, 119th Cong. (2025)) | Bot / agent disclosure | 2025-05-19 | https://www.lw.com/en/insights/president-trump-signs-take-it-down-act-into-law |
Drafted & in discussion
| Instrument | Status | Applies to | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Accountability Act (H.R.1694, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1694 |
| AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act (S.2367, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Crawlers & training data, Automated decision-making | https://natlawreview.com/article/senators-introduce-legislation-curb-use-personal-data-and-copyrighted-works-gen-ai |
| Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2025 (S.2164, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2164 |
| CHATBOT Act (Curbing Harmful AI Tools By Offering Transparency Act) (H.R.7985, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr7985 |
| NO FAKES Act of 2025 (H.R.2794, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2794/text |
| Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act (S.1213 / H.R.5272, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Both | Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1213 |
| SAFE BOTs Act (Safeguarding Adolescents From Exploitative BOTs Act) (H.R.6489, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Bot / agent disclosure | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6489 |
| TRAIN Act (Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks Act) (H.R.7209 / S.2455, 119th Cong. (2025-2026)) | In committee | Private sector | Crawlers & training data | https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7209 |
| Great American AI Act (Discussion Draft) (Discussion Draft, 119th Cong. (June 4, 2026)) | Proposed | Both | Bot / agent disclosure, Automated decision-making, Crawlers & training data, Agents acting on behalf of users | https://fedscoop.com/bipartisan-great-american-ai-act-draft-proposes-new-federal-ai-governance-framework/ |
| White House National AI Policy Framework (Legislative Recommendations) (White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (Mar. 20, 2026)) | Proposed | Both | Bot / agent disclosure, Automated decision-making, Crawlers & training data | https://www.gibsondunn.com/toward-a-national-ai-policy-the-trump-administration-releases-proposed-framework-for-federal-legislation/ |
Automated-access legality
Carried forward from the crawler-law index. Governs whether automated clients may access public websites in this jurisdiction.
| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Authorization test | technical gate |
| Public-page carve-out | yes |
| Terms-of-service browsewrap enforceable | no |
| Terms-of-service clickwrap enforceable | yes |
| Copyright exception model | fair use |
| Text and data mining — commercial status | unsettled |
| Text and data mining — opt-out mechanism | none |
| robots.txt legal weight | non binding notice |
| AI training-specific law | pending |
| Privacy regime | Sectoral (no federal omnibus); FTC Act §5 |
| Trespass to chattels | requires harm |
Last reviewed: 2026-05-21. Confidence: high. Fast-moving area — verify before relying. Not legal advice.
Subnational jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Instruments | Enacted | Fast-moving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7 | 4 | |
| Alaska | 6 | 1 | |
| American Samoa | 2 | 2 | |
| Arizona | 8 | 7 | |
| Arkansas | 6 | 5 | |
| California | 10 | 10 | |
| Colorado | 4 | 3 | |
| Connecticut | 4 | 3 | |
| Delaware | 7 | 5 | |
| District of Columbia | 7 | 4 | |
| Florida | 6 | 4 | |
| Georgia | 5 | 4 | |
| Guam | 4 | 2 | |
| Hawaii | 5 | 1 | |
| Idaho | 5 | 3 | |
| Illinois | 7 | 5 | Yes |
| Indiana | 6 | 4 | |
| Iowa | 3 | 2 | |
| Kansas | 6 | 3 | |
| Kentucky | 4 | 3 | |
| Louisiana | 12 | 4 | |
| Maine | 6 | 4 | |
| Maryland | 8 | 7 | |
| Massachusetts | 10 | 3 | |
| Michigan | 7 | 3 | |
| Minnesota | 6 | 5 | |
| Mississippi | 6 | 4 | |
| Missouri | 5 | 1 | |
| Montana | 5 | 5 | |
| Nebraska | 5 | 4 | |
| Nevada | 6 | 4 | |
| New Hampshire | 7 | 3 | |
| New Jersey | 7 | 3 | |
| New Mexico | 5 | 1 | |
| New York | 11 | 6 | |
| North Carolina | 5 | 2 | |
| North Dakota | 4 | 4 | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 3 | 3 | |
| Ohio | 4 | 1 | |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 1 | |
| Oregon | 6 | 5 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 4 | |
| Puerto Rico | 2 | 1 | |
| Rhode Island | 9 | 3 | |
| South Carolina | 7 | 1 | |
| South Dakota | 4 | 2 | |
| Tennessee | 5 | 4 | |
| Texas | 5 | 5 | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 3 | 2 | |
| Utah | 9 | 8 | |
| Vermont | 7 | 2 | |
| Virginia | 8 | 4 | |
| Washington | 6 | 4 | Yes |
| West Virginia | 4 | 2 | |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 4 | |
| Wyoming | 4 | 3 |
Coverage is growing. Not legal advice — verify citations before relying on any entry.