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Where NC Falls In Comparison to Other States on AI Regulations

  • Apr 1
  • 2 min read

Written By Attorney Aviance D. Brown of ADB Law


In November 2025, North Carolina’s “Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced the creation of the new artificial intelligence task force in November. The initiative, launched in partnership with Utah’s attorney general as a co-chair, is focused on helping law enforcement and state leaders keep pace with rapidly evolving AI tools and put safeguards in place before they are misused.”[1]


Prior to that in September 2025, NC’s governor Josh Stein signed an executive order devoted to “Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence That Benefits All North Carolinians.” This order also created the AI leadership council which is made up of NC elected officials, professors, tech workers, and data researchers.[2] An explicit goal of this executive order is to make NC the leading state in AI tech advancements, which for me causes major concerns without appropriate policy regulations in place.


Despite these two landmark moves, NC has seen little progress in AI regulations, and it pales in comparison to states like California, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania that have several laws dedicated to public safety, privacy and responsible AI. Currently NC only has two AI specific statutes that are geared towards public safety: AI CSAM and AI Intimate images (House Bill 591). Both laws are geared towards the generation and release of sexually explicit images using AI technologies. While I am glad that we have forward thinkers dedicated to the issue, I worry we are not moving quickly enough.


Tech companies should have to make it clear what their technologies can do and how it will impact the community. North Carolinians are concerned about new data centers and data processing facilities, what their environmental impacts will be, and who will foot the cost of the bill.[3] Projections for new data centers across the state already show that large commercial and industrial companies like Duke Energy will pay less while NC households will pay more.[4]


AI has potential to make extremely impactful advancements in our society. Most users want the technology to be a human aid rather than a replacement. We need strong regulations geared towards privacy, transparency, data security, healthcare, social media, financial abuse, and so many more areas that impact us on a daily basis.


Additionally, users need guidance on how to use the technology legally. I advise business owners daily who have no idea that by inputting sensitive client data into tools like ChatGPT they are violating both state and federal laws.


Artificial Intelligence has already made an impact in our state, and it is imperative that the laws catch up to protect North Carolinians. Despite the popular rhetoric touted by Silicon Valley developers, stating that regulations will halt innovation; larger states demonstrate that it is possible to safely regulate technology while simultaneously allowing for its advancements, and NC must get on board swiftly.


 
 
 

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