State AI laws reshaping daily life
- Ishaan Satija
- Oct 9
- 1 min read
Intro
New rules for artificial intelligence are changing how people apply for jobs, get loans, and protect themselves from fake online versions of real professionals.
What Changed
By 2025, every state and territory had proposed laws about AI. Thirty-eight states passed around a hundred of them. Now job seekers can sometimes ask for an explanation if a computer rejects them, but that right depends on where they live. Borrowers denied credit by an algorithm might have to go to state regulators to challenge it. Teachers are learning new rules about how schools can use AI grading tools. Lawyers, doctors, and therapists are filing complaints when deepfake impersonations of them show up online. Victims of those fakes can sometimes demand takedowns or damages, but not everywhere. For small businesses, it’s confusing—they need to make sure the software they use for hiring or ads follows each state’s rules. Larger firms have compliance teams, but mom-and-pop operations don’t. Ordinary people are just trying to figure out how to protect their data while still getting fair treatment.
What to Watch Next
Keep an eye on whether Congress creates a national standard. Until then, everything depends on zip code. The first enforcement cases from state attorneys general will show if these laws actually protect anyone or just add paperwork.
