Ban the Bots · Legislation Tracker

Pro-Human AI Legislation

Laws and bills protecting workers, families, the environment, and your rights from AI. 5 laws tracked across the US and world.

All Categories
All Legislation
5 laws tracked
🛠
Jobs & Workers
Notice requirements, hiring audits, displacement protections
11 laws →
👨‍👩‍👧
Children & Families
School AI bans, child privacy, social media harms
9 laws →
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Environment
Data center water & energy regulations, grid strain laws
5 laws →
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Privacy & Surveillance
Facial recognition bans, biometric laws, predictive policing
14 laws →
🎨
Creative Rights
Deepfake laws, likeness protections, AI labeling requirements
12 laws →

Showing: Environment — show all categories

Environment
State of California CA · Aug 2024

California AB 3279 (2024) requires large AI data centers to report annual greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and energy usage to the California Air Resources Board, and develop a plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. The bill targets the exploding energy and water demands of AI model training and inferen…

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Environment
State of Georgia GA · Apr 2024

Georgia HB 1023 (2024) requires large data centers seeking state tax incentives to submit environmental impact assessments including projected water and energy consumption over a 10-year period. The bill is a response to drought concerns and grid reliability issues tied to rapid AI-driven data center expansion in the s…

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Environment
State of Virginia VA · Mar 2024

Virginia SB 603 (2024) requires data centers over a certain size to report annual water consumption and energy usage to the state's Department of Energy. The law responds to rapid data center expansion in Northern Virginia — home to the world's largest data center cluster — and growing community concerns about water st…

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Environment Repealed / Overturned
U.S. Congress (proposed) · Feb 2024

The AI Environmental Impacts Act (proposed 2024) would require the Department of Energy to develop a framework for measuring and disclosing the energy and water consumption of AI systems. It mandates that large AI developers publish annual environmental impact reports covering training runs and deployment infrastructur…

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Environment
State of Arizona AZ · Mar 2023

Arizona HB 2191 placed restrictions on new data center water usage permits in Maricopa County, requiring data centers consuming more than 1 million gallons of water per day to receive approval from the state Department of Water Resources. The law responded to growing concerns about AI data centers straining the water s…

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Common questions about AI laws and your rights

Colorado, Illinois, and California have the most active AI worker protection and algorithmic decision-making laws. At the federal level, enforcement primarily flows through existing FTC, EEOC, and CFPB authority rather than AI-specific statutes.

▸ Does the US have a federal AI law?
The United States does not have a comprehensive federal AI law as of mid-2026. The US approach has been sector-specific guidance, executive orders, and voluntary commitments rather than binding legislation — unlike the EU, which enacted the AI Act. Individual states including Colorado, California, Illinois, and Texas have passed or are actively advancing their own AI laws, creating a patchwork of rules that vary significantly by jurisdiction and industry.
▸ What penalties do companies face for violating AI laws?
Penalties for AI law violations vary widely by jurisdiction and law type. Under state consumer protection laws, companies can face fines of $1,000–$20,000 per violation plus injunctive relief. The EU AI Act imposes penalties up to €30 million or 6% of global annual turnover for the most serious prohibited AI practices. In the US, most current AI enforcement flows through existing FTC authority — which can result in consent decrees and civil penalties — rather than AI-specific statutes with their own penalty schedules.
▸ How do I know which AI laws apply in my state?
To find AI laws that apply in your state, use the category filter above to browse by jurisdiction and topic. Colorado, Illinois, and California have the most comprehensive AI worker protection and algorithmic accountability laws. If your issue involves hiring decisions, look for state algorithmic accountability laws; for facial recognition, many cities and states have enacted specific bans or moratoria. The IAPP also maintains a comprehensive US state AI law tracker if you need broader coverage than this database.
▸ Can I file a complaint if an AI system harmed me?
Yes — depending on the type of harm, you can file complaints with the FTC (unfair or deceptive AI practices), EEOC (discriminatory AI in hiring decisions), CFPB (AI in credit or lending decisions), or your state attorney general's consumer protection office. Some states with algorithmic accountability laws (Colorado, Illinois) have specific complaint pathways for AI decision-making. Document the AI decision you received, request an explanation under any applicable transparency law, and consult an employment or consumer protection attorney if the harm is significant.
▸ What is the EU AI Act and does it affect US companies?
The EU AI Act is the world's first comprehensive AI regulation, passed in 2024 and phasing in requirements through 2027. It applies to any company that places AI products in EU markets or whose AI systems affect EU residents — which means many US AI companies must comply even without a European headquarters. It bans certain AI uses outright (social scoring, real-time biometric surveillance in public), and requires risk assessments, transparency disclosures, and human oversight for "high-risk" AI systems used in hiring, credit, law enforcement, and education. US companies serving EU customers should review which of their AI tools fall under high-risk categories.
▸ What rights do I have when an AI system makes a decision about me?
In the US, your rights depend on which sector is involved. For hiring decisions, several state laws require employers to disclose when AI was used and allow you to request the criteria it applied. For credit decisions, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to know adverse action reasons even if an algorithm made the decision. For government AI decisions, Freedom of Information laws may give you access to how automated systems work. In the EU, GDPR gives you an explicit right not to be subject to solely automated decisions with significant legal effects. See the fighting back guide for practical steps in each scenario.
More ways to fight back: All resistance actions, AI lawsuits tracker, AI layoffs tracker, and free no-AI policy template.

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