North Carolina
AI behavior law: bot and agent disclosure, crawler and training-data rules, automated-agent transactions, and algorithmic decision-making.
Summary
North Carolina has enacted one AI-specific criminal statute — Session Law 2024-37 (HB 591, effective December 1, 2024) — which extends existing sexual exploitation and nonconsensual intimate image laws to cover AI-generated synthetic media. No comprehensive AI transparency, chatbot disclosure, or automated decision-making statute has been enacted. Governor Josh Stein signed Executive Order No. 24 on September 2, 2025, establishing an AI Leadership Council, per-agency AI oversight teams, and a state AI Accelerator within the Department of Information Technology, but the order governs state government procurement and use only, not private actors. Several bills addressing chatbot licensing and safety (SB 624, SB 963) and omnibus AI protections including automated employment decision tool bias audits (HB 1161) are pending in committee in the 2025-2026 legislative session. Absent AI-specific private-sector statute, undisclosed bots and deceptive AI practices are reachable under North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (G.S. § 75-1.1), which bars unfair or deceptive acts in commerce.
Enacted law
Government obligations
| Instrument | Category | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order No. 24 — Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence That Benefits All North Carolinians (N.C. Exec. Order No. 24 (Gov. Josh Stein, Sept. 2, 2025)) | Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | 2025-09-02 | North Carolina Governor's Office official executive order page; NC Department of Information Technology press release (Sept 2, 2025) |
| Session Law 2024-37 — AI-Generated Intimate Images (HB 591) (N.C. Sess. Law 2024-37 (H.B. 591, 2023-2024 Session); amending G.S. 14-190.5A and G.S. 14-190.13) | Bot / agent disclosure | 2024-12-01 | North Carolina General Assembly official session law text; UNC School of Government Criminal Law Blog (Oct 2025) |
Private sector obligations
| Instrument | Category | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session Law 2024-37 — AI-Generated Intimate Images (HB 591) (N.C. Sess. Law 2024-37 (H.B. 591, 2023-2024 Session); amending G.S. 14-190.5A and G.S. 14-190.13) | Bot / agent disclosure | 2024-12-01 | North Carolina General Assembly official session law text; UNC School of Government Criminal Law Blog (Oct 2025) |
Drafted & in discussion
| Instrument | Status | Applies to | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Bill 1161 — Omnibus Artificial Intelligence Protections (N.C. H.B. 1161 (2025-2026 Session)) | In committee | Both | Agents acting on behalf of users, Automated decision-making, Bot / agent disclosure | North Carolina General Assembly bill page; Troutman Amin Privacy + Cyber + AI blog (May 4, 2026); GovTech state AI coverage |
| Senate Bill 624 — AI Chatbots: Licensing, Safety, and Privacy (N.C. S.B. 624 (2025-2026 Session)) | In committee | Private sector | Bot / agent disclosure | North Carolina General Assembly bill page; UNC School of Government Legislative Reporting Service bill summary; Wake Forest Law Review analysis (March 2026) |
| Senate Bill 963 — AI Chatbots: Licensing, Safety, and Privacy (2026 companion) (N.C. S.B. 963 (2025-2026 Session)) | In committee | Private sector | Bot / agent disclosure | North Carolina General Assembly bill page; UNC School of Government Legislative Reporting Service bill summary; LegiScan (2025-2026 session tracking) |