26 Attorneys General Urge Congress: Act Now on AI or Put Americans at Risk

On September 24, 2026, New York Attorney General Letitia James led a bipartisan coalition of 25 other state attorneys general plus Washington, D.C., in calling on the U.S. Congress to immediately regulate the artificial intelligence industry. In a joint letter, they warn that “frontier AI models” — cutting‑edge systems like GPT‑6‑class generative models — are rapidly increasing risks ranging from cyberattacks and autonomous weapons to deepfake‑driven election interference.

The attorneys general argue that, in the absence of a comprehensive federal AI law, today’s patchwork of state rules is no match for companies deploying powerful models across borders. They urge Congress to mandate safety assessments for high‑risk systems, create a robust incident‑reporting regime for AI‑related accidents and misuse, and clarify that states retain authority to enforce consumer protection, civil rights, labor, and privacy laws when AI causes harm.

At the same time, the letter acknowledges AI’s potential benefits in areas like healthcare, education, and productivity. The goal, they say, is “risk‑proportionate regulation” that steers innovation without smothering it. Several AI bills are already circulating on Capitol Hill, but this rare show of unity from state law enforcers could raise the political cost of continued inaction and push Congress toward more concrete oversight of frontier models.