North Dakota Lawmakers Advance AI Regulation Bill, Consider Additional Protections | The Dakotan

North Dakota lawmakers advanced proposed legislation on Tuesday that would establish new regulations for artificial intelligence, create a statewide AI Council, and introduce consumer protections, The Dakotan reported. The Legislature's interim Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee voted on October 20 to recommend the legislation to Legislative Management ahead of the 2027 legislative session.

The vote took place in the interim committee, which is considering the state's approach to artificial intelligence and data centers. The recommendation sends the proposal to Legislative Management rather than to a floor vote; the legislation remains proposed, with the 2027 session identified as the point ahead of which the recommendation was made. The headline on the report refers to lawmakers also considering additional protections. The Dakotan's account does not detail the text of the proposed regulations, the intended membership or authority of the AI Council, or which consumer protections the legislation would introduce.

The report does not state when the AI Council would convene, how its members would be appointed, what standards the proposed regulations would set, or when the consumer protections would take effect. It presents the committee's recommendation as preceding the 2027 session and does not indicate whether the legislation would be introduced in that session in the form the committee advanced. The vote was taken by an interim committee, and the recommendation now rests with Legislative Management, ahead of the 2027 session.