The biggest AI companies in the world got tired of waiting for Congress. So they started writing the rules themselves, one state capitol at a time.
Major AI laboratories have shifted their lobbying and policy efforts toward state legislatures, actively shaping bills that will govern how artificial intelligence is developed, deployed, and regulated. The pivot comes as federal lawmakers have failed to produce a comprehensive national AI framework, leaving a vacuum that companies are now racing to fill on their own terms.
A patchwork quilt nobody asked for
By the end of the 2025 legislative session, all 50 states and Washington D.C. had introduced bills related to artificial intelligence. Of those, 38 states enacted roughly 100 distinct measures covering everything from content ownership to critical infrastructure risk management and whistleblower protections.
Since 2019, over 800 AI-related bills have been proposed at the state level.
