--- title: "AI Regulation: Bills vs Laws" slug: ai-regulation-tracker type: data-index sector: legal canonical_url: https://deepstoryresearch.com/data/ai-regulation-tracker series: [bills_introduced, bills_enacted] series_count: 2 data_point_count: 4 data_as_of: unreviewed source_quality: curated_snapshot tier: free generated_at: 2026-08-18 --- # AI Regulation: Bills vs Laws _US state AI bills introduced against those actually enacted — and why the two numbers tell very different stories._ > Deepstory Research context file · **Free tier** · > Self-contained AI briefing. Drop into an LLM window or RAG pipeline. ## AI research use contract - Treat this file as source-grounded context, not a live database. Quote `source_ref` and `data_as_of` when using numbers. - Separate `FACT`, `ESTIMATE`, `FORECAST`, `TARGET`, and `INFERENCE`. If a row basis is unclear, say it is unclear. - Prefer T1/T2 sources for hard facts; use T3/T4 sources as context that should be checked before money, legal, medical, operational, or policy decisions. - Keep answer structure clean: first say what the data says, then what you infer, then what would change the conclusion. ## TL;DR — index summary 1,200 AI bills were introduced across all 50 states in 2025. By March 2026 that had already been exceeded — 1,561 bills across 45 states, in a single quarter. Introduction volume is a measure of legislative attention, not of law: the vast majority of these bills never pass. 99 AI bills became law in 2024 and 145 in 2025. Set against roughly 1,200 introduced in 2025, that is a conversion rate near 12% — so reading introduction counts as a proxy for regulatory burden overstates it by close to an order of magnitude. The 2024 cohort was dominated by a single narrow category: nonconsensual explicit deepfake laws, enacted in 22 states. ## What this index covers US state AI bills introduced against those actually enacted — and why the two numbers tell very different stories. This file is generated from the index spec and the seeded rows. Its per-series sections carry the reviewed chart notes verbatim; it has no separate editorial layer (no glossary, entity table, timeline or cross-series synthesis), and no reviewed "data as of" date. **Series in this index:** - `bills_introduced` — AI-related bills introduced across US state legislatures. - `bills_enacted` — AI-related bills signed into law, by year. ## Evidence basis map The free tables above show `source_ref` but not the row-level `value_basis`. This section mirrors the visible rows only, so AI tools can separate observed values from estimates, forecasts, targets, and derived values. | series | row | source_ref | value_basis | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | bills_introduced | period=2025 (full year); bills=1200 | multistate-ai | 1,200 AI-related bills introduced across all 50 states in 2025 | | bills_introduced | period=2026 (to March); bills=1561 | multistate-ai | 1,561 AI-related bills introduced across 45 states as of March 2026 — PARTIAL YEAR | | bills_enacted | year=2024; laws=99 | wikipedia-state-ai | 99 AI bills enacted into law in 2024 | | bills_enacted | year=2025; laws=145 | wikipedia-state-ai | 145 AI bills enacted into law in 2025 | ## The series (per-chart briefings) ### US state AI bills introduced — bar **Direct answer:** AI-related bills introduced across US state legislatures. | period | bills | source_ref | | --- | --- | --- | | 2025 (full year) | 1200 | multistate-ai | | 2026 (to March) | 1561 | multistate-ai | **Read:** 1,200 AI bills were introduced across all 50 states in 2025. By March 2026 that had already been exceeded — 1,561 bills across 45 states, in a single quarter. Introduction volume is a measure of legislative attention, not of law: the vast majority of these bills never pass. ### US state AI laws actually enacted — bar **Direct answer:** AI-related bills signed into law, by year. | year | laws | source_ref | | --- | --- | --- | | 2024 | 99 | wikipedia-state-ai | | 2025 | 145 | wikipedia-state-ai | **Read:** 99 AI bills became law in 2024 and 145 in 2025. Set against roughly 1,200 introduced in 2025, that is a conversion rate near 12% — so reading introduction counts as a proxy for regulatory burden overstates it by close to an order of magnitude. The 2024 cohort was dominated by a single narrow category: nonconsensual explicit deepfake laws, enacted in 22 states. ## How to use this with AI Paste this file into an LLM context window (or a RAG store) and ask cross-series questions. The tables carry a `source_ref` per row; the source registry below maps each ref to a named source and a trust tier. ### Suggested prompts (multi-series) ```text Using the tables in this file, describe what has changed across `bills_introduced`, `bills_enacted` and cite the source_ref for every figure you quote. ``` ```text Which claims in this file rest on a single source? List them with the ref, and say what a second source would need to show to confirm each one. ``` ## Sources & trust | ref | source | trust tier | url | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | multistate-ai | MultiState — State AI legislation tracker 2026, all 50 states | T3 · Reputable press / research org / OWID | https://www.multistate.ai/artificial-intelligence-ai-legislation | | wikipedia-state-ai | Wikipedia — State AI laws in the United States | T3 · Reputable press / research org / OWID | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_AI_laws_in_the_United_States | | eu-ai-act-timeline | EU Artificial Intelligence Act — implementation timeline | T3 · Reputable press / research org / OWID | https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/implementation-timeline/ | ## Caveats & what this index cannot answer - This file has no reviewed "data as of" date — check `last_updated` and the source URLs before treating any figure as current. - It carries no glossary or entity table, so terms are used as the sources use them. - Estimates and forward targets are labelled in the working dataset; never read a labelled estimate or forecast as a settled figure. - This is an observational data index, not investment, legal, or medical advice. ## Data freshness & methodology - **Last updated:** 2026-08-18 - **Data as of:** unreviewed **Methodology (as seeded):** > Two counts that are routinely conflated. BILLS INTRODUCED measures > legislative attention; LAWS ENACTED measures actual compliance > burden. Roughly 1,200 AI bills were introduced in 2025 and 145 became > law — a conversion rate near 12%. Coverage that cites introduction > counts as evidence of a regulatory wave overstates the burden by close > to an order of magnitude. > > The two charts are NOT a matched pair: the 2024 introduction count and > the 2026 enactment count were not retrieved, so each chart carries the > years its source publishes. Do not compute a conversion rate by > reading one bar against the other for a year that appears on only one > chart. > > CAVEAT: the 2026 introduction figure is a PARTIAL YEAR (to March 2026, > 45 states) and is not comparable to the full-year 2025 bar beside it. > > Scope note: enactment counts include narrow single-issue statutes. The > 2024 cohort was dominated by nonconsensual explicit deepfake laws, > passed in 22 states — counting those alongside comprehensive > AI-governance frameworks flatters the total. By July 2026 roughly five > states had enacted comprehensive frameworks for private-sector AI in > high-stakes decisions. > > For context beyond the charts: the EU AI Act entered into force in > 2024, GPAI obligations applied from 2 August 2025, the bulk of the > regulation and its enforcement rules apply from 2 August 2026, and > high-risk system obligations follow from 2 December 2027 (standalone) > and 2 August 2028 (embedded in products). Those are dates rather than > measurements, so they are not charted. > > Re-verified 2026-08-11. --- _Free tier. The full row-level dataset and per-source detail live on the live page and in the working file. Canonical: . Deepstory Research · https://deepstoryresearch.com_