Washington state lawmakers are discussing bills for the legislative session that begins in January to set AI safety, privacy and liability rules, as federal proposals face little momentum. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen said there is no consensus on priorities and few proposals have been thoroughly developed. He also expects data center legislation to take significant time during the session.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray convened state officials in Olympia last week to discuss AI regulation. No state lawmakers attended; senior advisers from Gov. Bob Ferguson’s and Attorney General Nick Brown’s offices did. Murray supports a strong federal safety floor but said states have a critical role. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell released an AI safety framework earlier this month that calls for audits and standards for advanced models. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal proposed regulating AI firms like banks. The article reports little congressional momentum before the midterms and says President Donald Trump opposes industry regulation.

State Rep. Clyde Shavers is preparing three AI bills. His top priority would establish product liability so developers face clear accountability when their software causes harm. A second proposal would require the largest AI companies to publish catastrophic-risk mitigation policies and undergo annual third-party safety audits, resembling Illinois’ recent AI safety law. A third would set privacy and security standards for AI tools used by K-12 students, with products required to be safe, effective, transparent and protective of student privacy while educators retain control of instructional decisions.

Officials at the roundtable said AI rules should accompany foundational data privacy laws. Washington is not among the 23 states with comprehensive consumer privacy laws, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. State privacy debates have continued since 2019, with disagreements over whether individuals should be able to sue companies that misuse their data. Rep. Lisa Callan said a baseline consumer privacy law is needed before additional AI protections; she said privacy disputes helped derail her earlier bills to protect children online. A law she sponsored was approved this year to set safeguards for AI chatbot interactions with minors, at Ferguson’s request.

Ferguson’s senior policy adviser Beau Perschbacher said AI-agent cyberattacks in the last six months have increased attention to AI safety in the governor’s office. The office is considering whether companies should notify the state before releasing more advanced models, giving government more time to protect infrastructure. Illinois’ law instead requires the largest developers to publish safety reports when releasing models and send quarterly risk summaries to the state emergency management agency; it does not require advance notice. Roundtable participants also raised worker protections, including taxing AI profits, requiring human oversight in key sectors and reskilling programs. Pedersen said he was skeptical Congress would act significantly and said effective regulation would be up to the states.

Washington state lawmakers are discussing bills for the legislative session that begins in January to set AI safety, privacy and liability rules, as federal proposals face little momentum. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen said there is no consensus on priorities and few proposals have been thoroughly developed. He also expects data center legislation to take significant time during the session.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray convened state officials in Olympia last week to discuss AI regulation. No state lawmakers attended; senior advisers from Gov. Bob Ferguson’s and Attorney General Nick Brown’s offices did. Murray supports a strong federal safety floor but said states have a critical role. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell released an AI safety framework earlier this month that calls for audits and standards for advanced models. U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal proposed regulating AI firms like banks. The article reports little congressional momentum before the midterms and says President Donald Trump opposes industry regulation.

State Rep. Clyde Shavers is preparing three AI bills. His top priority would establish product liability so developers face clear accountability when their software causes harm. A second proposal would require the largest AI companies to publish catastrophic-risk mitigation policies and undergo annual third-party safety audits, resembling Illinois’ recent AI safety law. A third would set privacy and security standards for AI tools used by K-12 students, with products required to be safe, effective, transparent and protective of student privacy while educators retain control of instructional decisions.

Officials at the roundtable said AI rules should accompany foundational data privacy laws. Washington is not among the 23 states with comprehensive consumer privacy laws, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. State privacy debates have continued since 2019, with disagreements over whether individuals should be able to sue companies that misuse their data. Rep. Lisa Callan said a baseline consumer privacy law is needed before additional AI protections; she said privacy disputes helped derail her earlier bills to protect children online. A law she sponsored was approved this year to set safeguards for AI chatbot interactions with minors, at Ferguson’s request.

Ferguson’s senior policy adviser Beau Perschbacher said AI-agent cyberattacks in the last six months have increased attention to AI safety in the governor’s office. The office is considering whether companies should notify the state before releasing more advanced models, giving government more time to protect infrastructure. Illinois’ law instead requires the largest developers to publish safety reports when releasing models and send quarterly risk summaries to the state emergency management agency; it does not require advance notice. Roundtable participants also raised worker protections, including taxing AI profits, requiring human oversight in key sectors and reskilling programs. Pedersen said he was skeptical Congress would act significantly and said effective regulation would be up to the states.