Bill Sponsors
J. Lombardi, Hull, Sanchez, Cruz, and Stewart
Committee
House Innovation, Internet, & Technology
Summary
Select
This legislation establishes the "Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act" to regulate the use of AI by Rhode Island state agencies. It requires the Department of Administration to create an inventory of all AI systems used by the government and to develop policies ensuring these systems do not discriminate against individuals based on race, gender, or other characteristics. Additionally, the bill creates a permanent commission comprised of state officials and experts to monitor AI use, study its impact on human welfare and legal rights, and report findings annually to the governor and legislature.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Mandates that state agencies prevent unlawful discrimination and disparate impacts in AI systems, explicitly protecting marginalized groups from algorithmic bias in government services.
- Establishes a permanent commission that includes a public defender and academic experts, ensuring oversight effectively considers civil rights and human welfare rather than just efficiency.
- Increases transparency by requiring a publicly available inventory of all AI systems used by the state, allowing the community to know how they are being governed.
Cons for Progressives
- The timeline for implementation is slow, with the inventory not due until late 2027, allowing potentially harmful systems to operate unchecked for several more years.
- Allows agency heads discretion to determine if a system results in discrimination, which could lead to self-regulation failures without stricter independent enforcement.
- Focuses on studying and monitoring rather than explicitly banning high-risk technologies like facial recognition or predictive policing which are often opposed by progressives.
Pros for Conservatives
- Protects the due process rights of citizens by ensuring that automated government decisions are transparent, explainable, and subject to review.
- Requires a detailed inventory of government technology, providing taxpayers with visibility into what tools the state is purchasing and utilizing.
- Focuses on upholding the rule of law by ensuring government tools do not violate existing anti-discrimination statutes.
Cons for Conservatives
- Expands the size of government by creating a new permanent commission and adding administrative layers to the Department of Administration.
- codifies the concept of "disparate impact" into state technology policy, which some conservatives view as prioritizing equity of outcome over merit or neutrality.
- Likely increases administrative costs and bureaucratic red tape for state agencies and vendors attempting to do business with the state.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- State Agencies
- Government Contractors/Vendors
- Academic Institutions
- General Public
- Protected Classes (Minorities, Disabled, etc.)
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
Importance
Measures population affected and overall level of impact.
Freedom Impact
Level of individual freedom impacted by the bill.
Public Services
How much the bill is likely to impact one or more public services.
Regulatory
Estimated regulatory burden imposed on the subject(s) of the bill.
Clarity of Bill Language
How clear the language of the bill is. Higher ambiguity equals a lower score.
Enforcement Provisions
Measures enforcement provisions and penalties for non-compliance (if applicable).
Environmental Impact
Impact the bill will have on the environment, positive or negative.
Privacy Impact
Impact the bill is likely to have on the privacy of individuals.
Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/15/2026 Introduced, referred to House Innovation, Internet, & Technology
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: CHAPTER 169 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
42-169-1. Short title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act."
42-169-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" means:
(i) An artificial system that:
(A) Performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight or can learn from experience and improve such performance when exposed to data sets;
(B) Is developed in any context, including, but not limited to, software or physical hardware, and solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication or physical action; or
(C) Is designed to:
(I) Think or act like a human, including, but not limited to, a cognitive architecture or neural network; or
(II) Act rationally, including, but not limited to, an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communication, decision- making or action; or
(ii) A set of techniques, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
(2) "State agency" means any office, department, board, commission, bureau, division, authority, or public corporation, agency or instrumentality of the state, including all branches of the judiciary.
42-169-3. Artificial intelligence inventory.
(a)(1) Not later than December 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department of administration shall conduct an inventory of all systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by any state agency. Each such inventory shall include at least the following information for each such system:
(i) The name of such system and the vendor, if any, that provided such system;
(ii) A description of the general capabilities and uses of such system;
(iii) Whether such system was used to independently make, inform or materially support a conclusion, decision or judgment; and
(iv) Whether such system underwent an impact assessment prior to implementation.
(2) The department of administration shall make each inventory conducted pursuant to this section publicly available on the state's open data portal.
(b) Beginning on February 1, 2028, the department of administration shall perform ongoing assessments of systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by state agencies to ensure that no such system shall result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in § 42-169-4(a)(1)(ii). The department shall perform such assessment in accordance with the policies and procedures established by § 42-169-4.
42-169-4. Policies and procedures.
(a)(1) Not later than February 1, 2028, the department of administration shall develop and establish policies and procedures concerning the development, procurement, implementation, utilization and ongoing assessment of systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by state agencies. Such policies and procedures shall, at a minimum, include policies and procedures that:
(i) Govern the procurement, implementation and ongoing assessment of such systems by LC003770 - Page 2 of 7 state agencies;
(ii) Are sufficient to ensure that no such system:
(A) Results in any unlawful discrimination against any individual or group of individuals; or
(B) Has any unlawful disparate impact on any individual or group of individuals on the basis of any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, including, but not limited to, age, genetic information, color, ethnicity, race, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, disability or lawful source of income;
(iii) Require a state agency to assess the likely impact of any such system before implementing such system; and
(iv) Provide for the department of administration to perform ongoing assessments of such systems to ensure that no such system results in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section.
(2) The department of administration may revise the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section if the director of the department of administration determines, in the director's discretion, that such revision is necessary.
(3) The department of administration shall post the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section, and any revision(s) made to such policies and procedures pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this subsection, on the department's Internet website.
(b) Beginning on February 1, 2028, no state agency shall implement any system that employs artificial intelligence:
(1) Unless the state agency has performed an impact assessment, in accordance with the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, to ensure that such system will not result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section; or
(2) If the head of such state agency determines, in the agency head's discretion, that such system will result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section.
42-169-5. Rhode Island artificial intelligence commission.
(a) There is hereby established within the department of administration a permanent artificial intelligence commission (the "commission") to monitor the use of artificial intelligence in state government, for the purpose of continuously studying, monitoring, and making recommendations relative to the use by the state of artificial intelligence systems that may affect LC003770 - Page 3 of 7 human welfare, including, but not limited to, the legal rights and privileges of individuals.
(b) In carrying out its work, the commission shall examine the following on an ongoing basis:
(1) A complete and specific survey of all uses of artificial intelligence systems by the State of Rhode Island and the purposes for which such systems are used;
(2) The principles, policies, and guidelines adopted by specific Rhode Island offices to inform the procurement, evaluation, and use of artificial intelligence systems, the procedures by which such principles, policies, and guidelines are adopted, and any gaps in such principles, policies, and guidelines;
(3) The training specific Rhode Island offices provide to individuals using artificial intelligence systems, the procedures for enforcing the principles, policies, and guidelines regarding their use, and any gaps in training or enforcement;
(4) The manner by which Rhode Island offices validate and test the artificial intelligence systems they use, and the manner by which they evaluate those systems on an ongoing basis, specifying the training data, input data, systems analysis, studies, vendor or community engagement, third parties, or other methods used in such validation, testing, and evaluation;
(5) Matters related to the transparency, explicability, auditability, and accountability of artificial intelligence systems, including information about their structure; the processes guiding their procurement, implementation and review; whether they can be audited externally and independently; and the people who operate such systems and the training they receive;
(6) The manner and extent to which Rhode Island offices make the artificial intelligence systems they use available to external review, and any existing policies, laws, procedures, or guidelines that may limit external access to data or technical information that is necessary for audits, evaluation, or validation of such systems;
(7) The due process rights of individuals directly affected by artificial intelligence systems, and the public disclosure and transparency procedures necessary to ensure such individuals are aware of the use of the systems and understand their related due process rights;
(8) Uses of artificial intelligence systems that directly or indirectly result in disparate outcomes for individuals or communities based on age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, receipt of public assistance, economic status, location of residence, or citizenship status;
(9) Technical, legal, or policy controls to improve the just and equitable use of artificial intelligence systems and mitigate any disparate impacts deriving from their use, including best practices and policies developed through research and academia or in other states and jurisdictions; LC003770 - Page 4 of 7
(10) Matters related to data sources, data sharing agreements, data security provisions, compliance with data protection laws and regulations, and all other issues related to how data is protected, used, and shared by agencies using artificial intelligence systems;
(11) Matters related to artificial intelligence systems and intellectual property, such as the existence of non-disclosure agreements, trade secrets claims, and other proprietary interests, and the impacts of intellectual property considerations on transparency, explicability, auditability, accountability, and due process; and
(12) Any other opportunities and risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence systems by Rhode Island offices.
42-169-6. Composition of commission.
(a) The commission shall have thirteen (13) members consisting of the secretary of commerce, or designee; the director of the department of administration, or designee, who shall be the chairperson of the commission; the director of the department of business regulation, or designee; the chief justice of the state supreme court, or designee; the attorney general, or designee; the director of the department of children, youth, and families, or designee; the secretary of the executive office of health and human services, or designee; the Rhode Island public defender, or designee; the president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, or designee; and four (4) representatives from academic institutions in the state who shall be experts in:
(1) Artificial intelligence and machine learning;
(2) Data science and information policy;
(3) Social implications of artificial intelligence and technology; or
(4) Technology and the law, to be appointed by the governor.
(b) The governor shall make the appointments after consulting with the commissioner of post-secondary education; the commissioner of elementary and secondary education; and the board of education.
(c) Members of the commission shall be appointed within forty-five (45) days of the effective date of this chapter. The commission shall meet at the call of the chair based on the commission's workload, but not fewer than six (6) times per calendar year. Members who are secretaries, directors, elected officials, commissioners, and members of the judiciary, as well as the president of the Rhode Island Bar Association and the public defender, shall serve for as long as they hold their position. All other members shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years, which appointments may be renewed.
42-169-7. Annual report.
The commission shall submit an annual report by December 31 of each year to the LC003770 - Page 5 of 7 governor, the speaker of the house, and president of the senate. The report will be a public record and it shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the commission's activities and any community engagement undertaken by the commission, the commission's findings, and any recommendations for regulatory or legislative action, including recommendations about areas where Rhode Island offices ought to use and not to use artificial intelligence systems, with a timeline for implementation, cost estimates and finance mechanisms. The report shall also detail the extent of algorithmic decision-making used by the State of Rhode Island and the progress made toward implementing any previous recommendations issued by the commission.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
42-169-1. Short title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act."
42-169-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" means:
(i) An artificial system that:
(A) Performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight or can learn from experience and improve such performance when exposed to data sets;
(B) Is developed in any context, including, but not limited to, software or physical hardware, and solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication or physical action; or
(C) Is designed to:
(I) Think or act like a human, including, but not limited to, a cognitive architecture or neural network; or
(II) Act rationally, including, but not limited to, an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communication, decision- making or action; or
(ii) A set of techniques, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
(2) "State agency" means any office, department, board, commission, bureau, division, authority, or public corporation, agency or instrumentality of the state, including all branches of the judiciary.
42-169-3. Artificial intelligence inventory.
(a)(1) Not later than December 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department of administration shall conduct an inventory of all systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by any state agency. Each such inventory shall include at least the following information for each such system:
(i) The name of such system and the vendor, if any, that provided such system;
(ii) A description of the general capabilities and uses of such system;
(iii) Whether such system was used to independently make, inform or materially support a conclusion, decision or judgment; and
(iv) Whether such system underwent an impact assessment prior to implementation.
(2) The department of administration shall make each inventory conducted pursuant to this section publicly available on the state's open data portal.
(b) Beginning on February 1, 2028, the department of administration shall perform ongoing assessments of systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by state agencies to ensure that no such system shall result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in § 42-169-4(a)(1)(ii). The department shall perform such assessment in accordance with the policies and procedures established by § 42-169-4.
42-169-4. Policies and procedures.
(a)(1) Not later than February 1, 2028, the department of administration shall develop and establish policies and procedures concerning the development, procurement, implementation, utilization and ongoing assessment of systems that employ artificial intelligence and are in use by state agencies. Such policies and procedures shall, at a minimum, include policies and procedures that:
(i) Govern the procurement, implementation and ongoing assessment of such systems by LC003770 - Page 2 of 7 state agencies;
(ii) Are sufficient to ensure that no such system:
(A) Results in any unlawful discrimination against any individual or group of individuals; or
(B) Has any unlawful disparate impact on any individual or group of individuals on the basis of any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, including, but not limited to, age, genetic information, color, ethnicity, race, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, disability or lawful source of income;
(iii) Require a state agency to assess the likely impact of any such system before implementing such system; and
(iv) Provide for the department of administration to perform ongoing assessments of such systems to ensure that no such system results in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section.
(2) The department of administration may revise the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section if the director of the department of administration determines, in the director's discretion, that such revision is necessary.
(3) The department of administration shall post the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section, and any revision(s) made to such policies and procedures pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this subsection, on the department's Internet website.
(b) Beginning on February 1, 2028, no state agency shall implement any system that employs artificial intelligence:
(1) Unless the state agency has performed an impact assessment, in accordance with the policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, to ensure that such system will not result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section; or
(2) If the head of such state agency determines, in the agency head's discretion, that such system will result in any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact described in subsection (a)(1)(ii) of this section.
42-169-5. Rhode Island artificial intelligence commission.
(a) There is hereby established within the department of administration a permanent artificial intelligence commission (the "commission") to monitor the use of artificial intelligence in state government, for the purpose of continuously studying, monitoring, and making recommendations relative to the use by the state of artificial intelligence systems that may affect LC003770 - Page 3 of 7 human welfare, including, but not limited to, the legal rights and privileges of individuals.
(b) In carrying out its work, the commission shall examine the following on an ongoing basis:
(1) A complete and specific survey of all uses of artificial intelligence systems by the State of Rhode Island and the purposes for which such systems are used;
(2) The principles, policies, and guidelines adopted by specific Rhode Island offices to inform the procurement, evaluation, and use of artificial intelligence systems, the procedures by which such principles, policies, and guidelines are adopted, and any gaps in such principles, policies, and guidelines;
(3) The training specific Rhode Island offices provide to individuals using artificial intelligence systems, the procedures for enforcing the principles, policies, and guidelines regarding their use, and any gaps in training or enforcement;
(4) The manner by which Rhode Island offices validate and test the artificial intelligence systems they use, and the manner by which they evaluate those systems on an ongoing basis, specifying the training data, input data, systems analysis, studies, vendor or community engagement, third parties, or other methods used in such validation, testing, and evaluation;
(5) Matters related to the transparency, explicability, auditability, and accountability of artificial intelligence systems, including information about their structure; the processes guiding their procurement, implementation and review; whether they can be audited externally and independently; and the people who operate such systems and the training they receive;
(6) The manner and extent to which Rhode Island offices make the artificial intelligence systems they use available to external review, and any existing policies, laws, procedures, or guidelines that may limit external access to data or technical information that is necessary for audits, evaluation, or validation of such systems;
(7) The due process rights of individuals directly affected by artificial intelligence systems, and the public disclosure and transparency procedures necessary to ensure such individuals are aware of the use of the systems and understand their related due process rights;
(8) Uses of artificial intelligence systems that directly or indirectly result in disparate outcomes for individuals or communities based on age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, receipt of public assistance, economic status, location of residence, or citizenship status;
(9) Technical, legal, or policy controls to improve the just and equitable use of artificial intelligence systems and mitigate any disparate impacts deriving from their use, including best practices and policies developed through research and academia or in other states and jurisdictions; LC003770 - Page 4 of 7
(10) Matters related to data sources, data sharing agreements, data security provisions, compliance with data protection laws and regulations, and all other issues related to how data is protected, used, and shared by agencies using artificial intelligence systems;
(11) Matters related to artificial intelligence systems and intellectual property, such as the existence of non-disclosure agreements, trade secrets claims, and other proprietary interests, and the impacts of intellectual property considerations on transparency, explicability, auditability, accountability, and due process; and
(12) Any other opportunities and risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence systems by Rhode Island offices.
42-169-6. Composition of commission.
(a) The commission shall have thirteen (13) members consisting of the secretary of commerce, or designee; the director of the department of administration, or designee, who shall be the chairperson of the commission; the director of the department of business regulation, or designee; the chief justice of the state supreme court, or designee; the attorney general, or designee; the director of the department of children, youth, and families, or designee; the secretary of the executive office of health and human services, or designee; the Rhode Island public defender, or designee; the president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, or designee; and four (4) representatives from academic institutions in the state who shall be experts in:
(1) Artificial intelligence and machine learning;
(2) Data science and information policy;
(3) Social implications of artificial intelligence and technology; or
(4) Technology and the law, to be appointed by the governor.
(b) The governor shall make the appointments after consulting with the commissioner of post-secondary education; the commissioner of elementary and secondary education; and the board of education.
(c) Members of the commission shall be appointed within forty-five (45) days of the effective date of this chapter. The commission shall meet at the call of the chair based on the commission's workload, but not fewer than six (6) times per calendar year. Members who are secretaries, directors, elected officials, commissioners, and members of the judiciary, as well as the president of the Rhode Island Bar Association and the public defender, shall serve for as long as they hold their position. All other members shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years, which appointments may be renewed.
42-169-7. Annual report.
The commission shall submit an annual report by December 31 of each year to the LC003770 - Page 5 of 7 governor, the speaker of the house, and president of the senate. The report will be a public record and it shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the commission's activities and any community engagement undertaken by the commission, the commission's findings, and any recommendations for regulatory or legislative action, including recommendations about areas where Rhode Island offices ought to use and not to use artificial intelligence systems, with a timeline for implementation, cost estimates and finance mechanisms. The report shall also detail the extent of algorithmic decision-making used by the State of Rhode Island and the progress made toward implementing any previous recommendations issued by the commission.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.