US states pass record 115 AI laws in 2026 as Congress stays silent

Thirty states enacted 115 AI laws in 2026, up nearly 58% from 73 laws in 2025, while Congress passed no federal AI legislation. Illinois became the first US jurisdiction to mandate independent third-party audits of frontier models trained above 10²⁶ FLOP, starting in 2028.

• 115 AI laws across 30 states, up from 73 laws in 27 states a year earlier
• Illinois requires audits of models above 10²⁶ FLOP and $500M revenue
• 14 states advanced chatbot safety rules to protect children
• 8 states require a human in insurer AI coverage denials