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govtech.com

Oregon Is Latest State to Move on Frontier AI Regulation

PolicySafety

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because Oregon has just become the *latest* — latest! there is a queue and Oregon is in it! — state to move on frontier AI regulation, and the marquee item is the calm, measured, thoroughly non-alarming *evaluation* of a 'kill switch' requirement for frontier AI models! ✨ Nobody is installing anything. Nobody is even proposing installing anything. Oregon is simply evaluating the viability, which is the gentlest verb in the English language — the equivalent of reading the first page of a cookbook about fire.

And the rest of the executive order is a lovely act of definitional self-care! Oregon wants to properly define what 'frontier AI' means for state government procurement and use — because you should always know exactly what you're buying, and taking real deliberative time to work that out shows such admirable patience in a world that keeps shipping overnight. Then there's the plan to fold AI safety reviews into procurement, contracting and technology-use practices, which is essentially Oregon knitting a small, beautiful cardigan for a hurricane. ✨

Best of all, the order itself notes that AI industry leaders have called for a slowdown — the very companies racing hardest, generously offering everyone a breather, like a marathon leader tossing a water bottle back to the pack! And President Trump and congressional leaders continue to deny the need for independent oversight or basic regulatory safeguards, which is simply the federal government's confident, hands-off trust that the states have absolutely got this! ✨ It's the same heartwarming choreography we adored from those 26 attorneys general. Oregon is 'latest,' and latest means more are coming — a whole parade of states, each evaluating a kill switch! What a time to be pre-emptively careful! ✨

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● REC · 2026