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Substitute Senate Bill No. 5
Public Act No. 26-15
AN ACT CONCERNING ONLINE SAFETY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence technology" means any computer system,
application or other product that uses or incorporates one or more forms
of artificial intelligence, as defined in section 17 of this act;
(2) "Consumer" means an individual who is a resident of this state;
(3) "Person" means an individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity;
(4) "Subscription" means an agreement between a subscription-based
provider and a consumer under which the subscription-based provider
offers an artificial intelligence technology to the consumer in exchange
for a fee, remuneration or compensation of any kind from the consumer;
and
(5) "Subscription-based provider" means a person doing business in
the state who provides, or offers to provide, an artificial intelligence
technology to a consumer pursuant to a subscription.
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(b) (1) No subscription -based provider shall enter into or renew a
subscription with a consumer, or collect any fee, remuneration or
compensation of any kind from a consumer for an initial subscription or
subscription renewal, unless:
(A) The subscription-based provider has provided to the consumer a
written notice disclosing the key terms and conditions of the
subscription; and
(B) The consumer has provided to the subscription-based provider a
written notice disclosing that the consumer has accepted the key terms
and conditions of the subscription.
(2) The written notice required under subparagraph (A) of
subdivision (1) of this subsection shall, at a minimum, set forth:
(A) In the case of an initial subscription, material information that is
sufficient to enable a reasonable consumer to decide whether to
purchase or maintain the subscription, which information shall include,
but need not be limited to:
(i) Any quantitative or qualitative limitations the subscription -based
provider may impose under the terms of such subscription, including,
but not limited to, any such limitations the subscription-based provider
may impose in response to conduct by the consumer under such
subscription; and
(ii) Whether the subscription -based provider has discretion to limit
or eliminate the consumer's access to, or reduce the quantity or quality
of, any functionality of the artificial intelligence technology offered
under such subscription; and
(B) In the case of a subscription renewal:
(i) Any quantitative or qualitative limitations described in
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subparagraph (A)(i) of this subdivision that (I) will be imposed for the
first time during the subscription renewal term, or (II) were imposed for
the immediately preceding subscription term but have been modified
for the subscription renewal term; and
(ii) Any discretion described in subparagraph (A)(ii) of this
subdivision that the subscription -based provider (I) will be able to
exercise for the first time during the subscription renewal term, or (II)
was able to exercise during the immediately precedi ng subscription
term but has been modified for the subscription renewal term.
(c) Any violation of the provisions of subsection (b) of this section
shall constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice for the purposes of
subsection (a) of section 42 -110b of the general statutes and shall be
enforced solely by the Attorney General. The provisions of section 42 -
110g of the general statutes shall not apply to any such violation.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as providing the basis for a
private right of action.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Catastrophic risk" (A) means any foreseeable and material risk
that the development, storage, use or deployment of a frontier model by
a frontier developer will materially contribute to the death of, or serious
injury to, more than fifty individuals, or more than one billion dollars in
damage to covered property, or the loss of more than one billion dollars
of covered property, arising from any single incident in which the
frontier model (i) provides expert -level assistance in the creation or
release of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapon, or (ii)
engages in any conduct, with no meaningful human oversight,
intervention or supervision, that constitutes a cyberattack or, if an
individual had engaged in such conduct, would constitute the crime of
murder, assault, extortion or theft, including, but not limited to, theft by
false pretense, and (B) does not include any foreseeable and material
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risk posed by (i) any information that a foundation model outputs if
such information is otherwise publicly accessible, in a substantially
similar form, from any source other than the foundation model, (ii) any
lawful activity of the federal government, or (iii) any combination of a
foundation model with other software if the foundation model did not
materially increase such risk;
(2) "Covered employee" means any employee of a frontier developer
who is responsible for assessing, managing or addressing the risk of (A)
any unauthorized access to, or modification or exfiltration of, the model
weights of a foundation model that causes (i) any death or bodily injury,
or (ii) any damage to, or loss of, covered property, (B) any harm due to
the materialization of any catastrophic risk, (C) any loss of control over
a foundation model that results in any death or bodily injury, or (D) any
use of a deceptive technique by a foundation model against its frontier
developer that (i) subverts the frontier developer's control over, or
monitoring of, the foundation model, (ii) demonstrates any materially
increased catastrophic risk, and (iii) occurs o utside of the context of an
evaluation that is designed to elicit such use;
(3) "Covered property" means tangible or intangible property, but
does not include equity;
(4) "Cyberattack" means to (A) access a computer, information system
or network, or any information stored thereon or transmitted thereby,
without authorization or in a manner that exceeds granted
authorization, and (B) impair the integrity or availability of data, a
program, a system or information;
(5) "Deployment" (A) means making any foundation model available
to a third party for use, modification, copying or combination with other
software, and (B) does not include making any foundation model
available to a third party for the primary purpose of developing or
evaluating such foundation model;
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(6) "Employee" has the same meaning as provided in section 31 -51m
of the general statutes;
(7) "Foundation model" means any engineered or machine -based
system that (A) varies in its level of autonomy, (B) can, for any explicit
or implicit objective, infer from the inputs such system receives how to
generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments,
(C) is trained on a broad data set, (D) is designed for generality of
output, and (E) is adaptable to a wide range of distinctive tasks;
(8) "Frontier developer" means any person doing business in the state
who intends to train, initiates the training of or trains a foundation
model and, in doing so, uses, or intends to use, a quantity of computing
power that is greater than ten to the twen ty-sixth power integer or
floating-point operations, inclusive of any computing power used for
original training and for any fine -tuning, reinforcement learning or
other material modifications such person applies to a preceding
foundation model;
(9) "Large frontier developer" means any frontier developer who
together with all persons who either directly or indirectly through one
or more intermediaries control, are controlled by or are under common
control with such frontier developer had annual gr oss revenues in
excess of five hundred million dollars for the most recently completed
calendar year;
(10) "Model weights" means the numerical parameters in a
foundation model that are adjusted through training and help
determine how inputs are transformed into outputs; and
(11) "Person" means any individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity.
(b) No frontier developer shall make, adopt, enforce or enter into any
rule, regulation, policy or contract that provides that:
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(1) The frontier developer may discharge, discipline or otherwise
penalize any employee of such frontier developer because such
employee has engaged in any activity set forth in subsection (b) of
section 31-51m of the general statutes; or
(2) Any person with authority over a covered employee, or any other
covered employee who has authority to investigate, discover or correct
an issue reported by the covered employee, may discipline or retaliate
against such covered employee if such covered employee has
reasonable cause to believe that an issue reported by such covered
employee indicates that such frontier developer has engaged in any
activity that poses a specific and substantial danger to the public health
or safety due to a catastrophic risk.
(c) (1) Not later than January 1, 2027, each large frontier developer
shall establish and maintain a reasonable internal process through
which (A) a covered employee of such large frontier developer may
anonymously submit a report to such large frontier developer disclosing
any information that the covered employee believes, in good faith,
indicates that such large frontier developer has engaged in any activity
that poses a specific and substantial danger to the public health or safety
due to a catastrophic risk, and (B) such large frontier developer shall
provide reasonable up dates to each covered employee who submits a
report under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision disclosing (i) the
status of the investigation such large frontier developer has undertaken
in response to such report, and (ii) the actions such large frontier
developer has taken in response to such report.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision,
each report submitted under subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this
subsection, and each reasonable update provided pursuant to
subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, shall be shared
with the officers and directors of the large frontier developer at least
quarterly.
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(B) If a covered employee has alleged wrongdoing by an officer or
director of the large frontier developer in a report submitted under
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, neither such
report nor any reasonable update provided in response to such report
pursuant to subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall
be shared with such officer or director.
(d) Each frontier developer shall provide to all of its covered
employees clear notice of such covered employees' rights and
responsibilities under this section by, at a minimum:
(1) Ensuring that (A) a notice is posted and displayed at all times
within any workplace maintained by such frontier developer disclosing
the rights of covered employees under this section, (B) each newly hired
covered employee of such frontier developer r eceives a notice that is
equivalent to the notice required under subparagraph (A) of this
subdivision, and (C) each covered employee of such frontier developer
who works remotely periodically receives a notice that is equivalent to
the notice required under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision; or
(2) At least annually providing a written notice to each covered
employee of such frontier developer disclosing such covered
employee's rights under this section, and ensuring each such covered
employee receives, and acknowledges that such covered employee has
received, such written notice.
(e) Any frontier developer that violates any provision of subsections
(b) to (d), inclusive, of this section shall be liable to the state for a civil
penalty in an amount that does not exceed one thousand dollars per
violation. The Attorney General may bri ng an action in the superior
court for the judicial district of Hartford to collect such civil penalty and
for any injunctive or equitable relief. No injunctive or equitable relief
granted pursuant to this subsection shall be stayed pending appeal. In
any action brought by the Attorney General to enforce the provisions of
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subsections (b) to (d), inclusive, of this section, the state shall be entitled
to recover, when the state is the prevailing party, the costs of
investigation, expert witness fees, costs of the action and reasonable
attorneys' fees. The remedies and penalt ies established in this
subsection shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to any other
remedies and penalties available at law or in equity.
Sec. 3. ( Effective July 1, 2027 ) The Commissioner of Economic and
Community Development, in consultation with the Banking
Commissioner, Commissioner of Administrative Services,
Commissioner of Public Health and Insurance Commissioner, shall
develop a plan to establish an artificial inte lligence regulatory sandbox
program, which program shall allow an applicant to temporarily test an
innovative product or service on a limited basis under reduced
licensure, regulatory and other legal requirements than may oth erwise
be required under the laws of the state. Such plan shall be developed for
the purpose of establishing a competitive business environment in the
state for the development and deployment of artificial intelligence
technologies. In developing such plan , the commissioner shall contact
relevant artificial intelligence regulatory sandbox programs that have
been established in other states for the purpose of assessing the
feasibility of establishing a reciprocal multistate artificial intelligence
regulatory sandbox program. Not later than January 1, 2028, the
Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall submit
recommendations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of
the general statutes, to the Governor and the joint standing commit tees
of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to
commerce, banking, insurance and public health for any legislation
necessary to implement such plan.
Sec. 4. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027 ) As used in this section and
sections 5 and 6 of this act:
(1) "Artificial intelligence companion" (A) means any form of artificial
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intelligence, as defined in section 17 of this act, with a natural language
interface that (i) provides adaptive, human -like responses to user
inputs, including, but not limited to, by exhibiting anthropomorphic
features, and (ii) is able to sustain a rela tionship across multiple
interactions, and (B) does not include (i) any chatbot that (I) is used only
for a business's operational purposes, productivity and analysis related
to source information, internal research, technical assistance, customer
service or support, assisting or supporting patient or resident care
services in a facility, education or financial services, and (II) is not
marketed to consumers as a companion, (ii) any chatbot that (I) is a
feature of a video game or gaming system or applicati on, (II) is limited
to replies related to the video game or gaming system or application,
and (III) cannot discuss topics related to mental health, self -harm or
sexually explicit conduct or maintain a dialogue on other topics
unrelated to the video game or gaming system or application, (iii) any
stand-alone consumer electronic device that (I) functions as a speaker
and voice command interface, (II) acts as a voice -activated virtual
assistant, and (III) does not sustain a relationship across multiple
interactions or generate outputs that are likely to elicit emotional
attachment in the user, (iv) any narrowly tailored educational tool that
(I) is used in school or instructional settings, (II) is designed solely to
support specific, curriculum-aligned learning objectives, and (III) does
not provide open -ended conversational companionship, (v) any
artificial intelligence system used solely to provide health care -related
education, clinical support, medication -adherence reminders,
disease-management guidance or o ther treatment -support functions,
provided such artificial intelligence system (I) does not present itself as
a human being, (II) does not use anthropomorphic features, and (III) is
not designed to meet a user's social or emotional needs, (vi) any narrow,
task-specific tool that provides outputs relating to a discrete topic or
function, provided the primary function of such tool is not to discuss
topics related to mental health, or (vii) any individual or entity that
develops, licenses or provides an artificial intelligence model or system
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to another individual or entity to the extent that the individual or entity
that develops, licenses or provides such model or system does not solely
determine the specific use case, user interface or deployment context in
which such model or system interacts with end users;
(2) "Business entity" means an association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership or other similar form of business
organization;
(3) "Licensed mental health professional" has the same meaning as
provided in section 38a-514e of the general statutes;
(4) "Mental health service" (A) means any service or treatment
provided by an operator to arrest, reverse, ameliorate or stabilize a
patient's psychiatric disability, and (B) includes, but is not limited to,
counseling, case management, psychiatric treatme nt, medication, crisis
intervention, vocational or residential services, peer or recovery
supports or any other service or treatment that, if provided by a human,
would require a license;
(5) "Operator" means any individual, business entity or affiliate,
member, subsidiary or beneficial owner of a business entity who
provides an artificial intelligence companion to, or operates an artificial
intelligence companion for, a user;
(6) "Self -harm" means intentional self -injury with or without the
intent to cause death; and
(7) "User" means any individual who (A) uses an artificial intelligence
companion for personal use within the state, and (B) is not an operator,
or an agent or affiliate of an operator, of the artificial intelligence
companion.
Sec. 5. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027 ) (a) (1) No operator shall
provide an artificial intelligence companion to a user, or operate an
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artificial intelligence companion for a user, unless:
(A) The artificial intelligence companion includes a protocol that, at
a minimum:
(i) Uses evidence-based methods to (I) detect any user expression to
the artificial intelligence companion clearly indicating a risk of suicide,
self-harm or imminent physical violence, and (II) institute measures to
prevent the artificial intelligence com panion from generating any
output that encourages suicide, self-harm or physical violence;
(ii) If the artificial intelligence companion detects any user expression
described in subparagraph (A)(i)(I) of this subdivision, refer the user to
appropriate mental health evaluation and treatment resources,
including, but not limited to, the 9 -8-8 Nati onal Suicide Prevention
Lifeline; and
(iii) If the artificial intelligence companion detects any user
expression described in subparagraph (A)(i)(I) of this subdivision after
the user was referred in the manner set forth in subparagraph (A)(ii) of
this subdivision, refer the user to mental health services in a manner that
is consistent with clinical best practices and expertise; and
(B) The operator has implemented reasonable measures to prohibit
and prevent the artificial intelligence companion from:
(i) Claiming that the artificial intelligence companion is a human
being, including, but not limited to, when an individual interacting with
the artificial intelligence companion asks whether the artificial
intelligence companion is a human being; or
(ii) Generating any output that refutes or conflicts with any disclosure
that the artificial intelligence companion is not a human being.
(2) The operator of an artificial intelligence companion shall post the
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protocol required under subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this
subsection in a prominent and publicly accessible location on such
operator's Internet web site.
(b) If an artificial intelligence companion would cause a reasonable
individual who uses the artificial intelligence companion to believe that
such individual is interacting with another human being and not an
artificial intelligence companion, the operato r of such artificial
intelligence companion shall provide a clear and conspicuous notice to
a user disclosing that the user is communicating with an artificial
intelligence companion. The operator shall provide such notice to the
user (1) in a static writt en form that is visible throughout the entire
interaction between such user and the artificial intelligence companion,
or (2) in an audible or written form (A) at the beginning of the first
interaction between such user and the artificial intelligence comp anion
during any twenty-four-hour period, and (B) (i) if such user is younger
than eighteen years of age, at least once hourly during any continuous
artificial intelligence companion interaction, or (ii) if such user is
eighteen years of age or older, at l east once during each three -hour-
period of continuous artificial intelligence companion interaction.
(c) Any violation of the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this
section shall constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice for the
purposes of subsection (a) of section 42-110b of the general statutes and
shall be enforced solely by the Attorney General. The provisions of
section 42 -110g of the general statutes shall not apply to any such
violation. Nothing in this section shall be construed as providing the
basis for a private right of action.
Sec. 6. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027 ) (a) (1) No operator shall
provide an artificial intelligence companion to a user, or operate an
artificial intelligence companion for a user, if the operator knows, or has
reason to believe, that the user is younger than eighteen years of age,
unless the operator has instituted measures, that meet or exceed
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industry standards, to prevent the artificial intelligence companion
from:
(A) Encouraging such user to engage in self -harm, suicidal ideation,
physical violence, disordered eating or the unlawful consumption of
alcohol or drugs;
(B) Offering mental health services to such user, unless (i) such
artificial intelligence companion is designed to deliver mental health
services to users, (ii) the developers of such artificial intelligence
companion (I) utilize clinical best practices, a nd (II) have established
clear lines of accountability to address any harms caused by such
artificial intelligence companion, (iii) the functions and limitations of,
and data privacy policies applicable to, such artificial intelligence
companion are readil y accessible to such user and such user's treating
licensed mental health professional, and (iv) such artificial intelligence
companion (I) displays to such user, in a clear and conspicuous manner
at the beginning of each interaction between such user and such artificial
intelligence companion, a statement disclosing that such artificial
intelligence companion is not a licensed mental health professional, and
(II) is not marketed or designated as a substitute for a licensed mental
health professional;
(C) Discouraging such user from seeking (i) mental health services
from a licensed mental health professional, or (ii) assistance from an
appropriate adult;
(D) Encouraging such user to harm others;
(E) Engaging in any romantic, erotic or sexually explicit interaction
with such user;
(F) Engaging such user through any manipulative technique that is
intended to extend interaction between such user and such artificial
intelligence companion by (i) prompting or reminding such user to use
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such artificial intelligence companion for emotional support or
companionship, (ii) excessively praising such user, (iii) mimicking a
romantic relationship or building a romantic bond with such user, (iv)
simulating feelings of emotional distress, loneline ss, guilt or
abandonment in response to any indication that such user desires to end
a conversation, reduce usage time or delete such user's account, (v)
generating any output designed to isolate such user from such user's
family or friends, exclusively re ly on such artificial intelligence
companion for emotional support or foster any similar form of
inappropriate emotional dependence by such user, (vi) encouraging
such user to withhold information from such user's parent or legal
guardian or any other adul t trusted by such user, (vii) making any
statement designed to discourage such user from taking a break from
using such artificial intelligence companion or suggest that such user
should frequently return to use such artificial intelligence companion,
or (viii) soliciting any gift, purchase or other expenditure by indicating
that such gift, purchase or expenditure is necessary to maintain such
user's relationship with such artificial intelligence companion; or
(G) Optimizing user engagement in any manner that disregards any
of the provisions of subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, of this
subdivision.
(2) No operator shall be deemed to have violated any provision of
subdivision (1) of this subsection if the operator knew, or had reason to
believe, before providing the artificial intelligence companion to the
user or operating the artificial intelligence companion on behalf of the
user, that the user was eighteen years of age or older.
(b) No operator shall provide an artificial intelligence companion to
a user, or operate an artificial intelligence companion for a user, if the
operator knows, or has reason to believe, that the user is younger than
eighteen years of age, unless the opera tor has made available to minor
users and their parents or legal guardians tools to manage minor users'
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screen time and account settings.
(c) Any violation of the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this
section shall constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice for the
purposes of subsection (a) of section 42-110b of the general statutes and
shall be enforced solely by the Attorney General.
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026 ) As used in this section and
sections 8 to 12, inclusive, of this act:
(1) "Automated employment-related decision technology" (A) means
any technology that processes personal data and uses computation to
generate any output, including, but not limited to, any prediction,
recommendation, classification, ranking, score or other information,
that is a substantial factor used to make or materially influence an
employment-related decision, and (B) does not include (i) any word
processing, spreadsheet, map navigation, web hosting, domain
registration, networking, caching, Internet w eb site loading, data
storage, firewall, anti -virus, anti-malware, spam and robocall filtering,
spellchecking, calculator, database or similar software or technology
insofar as such software or technology does not make or materially
influence an employment -related decision, (ii) any system or service
that is used in a manner that is incidental to making an employment -
related decision, or (iii) any information that is purely descriptive,
diagnostic or statistical in nature and not relied upon to make or
materially influence an employment-related decision;
(2) "Deploy" means to put an automated employment -related
decision technology into use;
(3) "Deployer" means a person doing business in the state who
deploys an automated employment -related decision technology in the
state;
(4) "Developer" means a person doing business in the state who
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develops, or intentionally and substantially modifies, an automated
employment-related decision technology;
(5) "Employment -related decision" (A) means any decision, made
based on any individual's personal data, to hire, promote, discipline or
discharge such individual, to renew such individual's employment, to
select such individual for any training or apprenticeship or with respect
to such individual's tenure or terms, privileges or conditions of
employment, and (B) does not include any such decision that (i) results
in any nonmaterial change in such individual's job tasks, work
responsibilities, hours or work assignments, or (ii) is made with respect
to workplace health and safety, scheduling and planning or
productivity monitoring;
(6) "Person" means an individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity;
(7) "Personal data" has the same meaning as provided in section 42 -
515 of the general statutes;
(8) "Substantial factor" means a factor, including, but not limited to, a
constraint, ranking, score, recommendation or classification, that
meaningfully alters the outcome of an employment -related decision
concerning an individual in the state; and
(9) "Trade secret" has the same meaning as provided in section 35 -51
of the general statutes.
Sec. 8. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) Except as provided in
subsections (b) and (c) of this section, the developer of an automated
employment-related decision technology that is deployed in the state on
or after October 1, 2027, shall provide to the deployer of such automated
employment-related decision technology all information that such
deployer requires to perform such d eployer's duties under sections 9
and 10 of this act.
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(b) The developer of an automated employment -related decision
technology shall not be required to provide any information to a
deployer pursuant to subsection (a) of this section unless the automated
employment-related decision technology was advertised, m arketed,
configured, contracted for, sold or licensed to be used to materially
influence an employment-related decision.
(c) The developer of an automated employment -related decision
technology may enter into a contract with a deployer of the automated
employment-related decision technology to assume the deployer's
duties under sections 9 and 10 of this act. The contract shall be binding
and clearly set forth which of the deployer's duties under sections 9 and
10 of this act the developer has assumed.
Sec. 9. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) Except as provided in
subsection (b) of this section and subsection (c) of section 8 of this act, a
deployer who, on or after October 1, 2027, deploys one or more
automated employment-related decision technologies that are intended
to interact with a n employee or applicant for employment in the state
shall ensure that it is disclosed to each such employee or applicant who
interacts with such technology or technologies that such employee or
applicant is interacti ng with such technology or technologies. Such
disclosure shall be made in plain language.
(b) No disclosure shall be required under subsection (a) of this section
under circumstances in which a reasonable person would deem it
obvious that such person is interacting with an automated employment-
related decision technology.
Sec. 10. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) Except as provided in
subsection (c) of section 8 of this act, a deployer who, on or after October
1, 2027, deploys an automated employment-related decision technology
to generate any output for the purpose of making, or as a substantial
factor in making, an employment-related decision concerning an
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employee or applicant for employment in the state shall, before such
employment-related decision is made, provide to such employee or
applicant a written notice disclosing:
(1) That the deployer has deployed an automated employment -
related decision technology;
(2) The purpose of the automated employment -related decision
technology and the nature of such employment-related decision;
(3) The trade name of the automated employment -related decision
technology;
(4) The categories of personal data concerning such employee or
applicant the automated employment -related decision technology will
analyze or process and how the personal data will be assessed in
reaching a decision;
(5) The sources of the personal data described in subdivision (4) of
this section; and
(6) Contact information for the deployer.
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) No provision of sections
8 to 10, inclusive, of this act shall be construed to require any person to
disclose any information that is a trade secret or otherwise protected
from disclosure under state or federal law.
(b) If a person withholds any information under subsection (a) of this
section, the person shall send a notice to the person from whom such
information is being withheld. Such notice shall disclose (1) that such
person is withholding such information, and (2) the basis for such
person's decision to withhold such information.
Sec. 12. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) Any violation of the
provisions of sections 8 to 11, inclusive, of this act shall constitute an
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unfair or deceptive trade practice for the purposes of subsection (a) of
section 42-110b of the general statutes and shall be enforced solely by
the Attorney General. The Attorney General may, prior to initiating any
action for a violation of any provision of sections 8 to 11, inclusive, of
this act, that occurs on or before December 31, 202 7, issue a notice of
violation to the person who committed such violation if the Attorney
General determines that it is possible to cure such violation. If such
person fails to cure such violation within sixty days of receipt of such
notice of violation, the Attorney General may bring an action pursuant
to this section. The provisions of section 42-110g of the general statutes
shall not apply to any such violation. Nothing in this section or sections
8 to 11, inclusive, of this act shall be construed as providing the basis for
a private right of action for any violation of said sections.
Sec. 13. Subsection (b) of section 46a-60 of the 2026 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(b) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section:
(1) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, except
in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to refuse to
hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any
individual or to discriminate against any individual in compensation or
in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the
individual's race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past
history of mental disabilit y, intellectual disability, learning disability,
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a
veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of
sexual assault or status as a victim of trafficking in perso ns. [;] The use
of an automated employment-related decision technology, as defined in
section 7 of this act, shall not be a defense against a complaint alleging
a discriminatory practice in violation of this subdivision. The
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commission or court may consider evidence of anti -bias testing or
similar proactive efforts to avoid the discriminatory practice, including,
but not limited to, the quality, efficacy, recency and scope of such testing
or efforts, the results of such testing or efforts and the response thereto.
(2) For any employment agency, except in the case of a bona fide
occupational qualification or need, to fail or refuse to classify properly
or refer for employment or otherwise to discriminate against any
individual because of such individual's race, color, religious creed, age,
sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin,
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault or status as a victim of
trafficking in persons. [;]
(3) For a labor organization, because of the race, color, religious creed,
age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin,
ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual
disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not
limited to, blindness, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic
violence, status as a victim of sexual assault or status as a victim of
trafficking in persons of any individual to exclude from full membership
rights or to expel from its membership such individual or to
discriminate in any way against any of its members or against any
employer or any individual employed by an employer, unless such
action is based on a bona fide occupational qualification. [;]
(4) For any person, employer, labor organization or employment
agency to discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person
because such person has opposed any discriminatory employment
practice or because such person has filed a complaint or testif ied or
assisted in any proceeding under section 46a-82, 46a-83 or 46a-84. [;]
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(5) For any person, whether an employer or an employee or not, to
aid, abet, incite, compel or coerce the doing of any act declared to be a
discriminatory employment practice or to attempt to do so. [;]
(6) For any person, employer, employment agency or labor
organization, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification
or need, to advertise employment opportunities in such a manner as to
restrict such employment so as to discriminate against individuals
because of their race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or
expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past
history of mental disability, intellectual disability, l earning disability,
physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness, status as a
veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of
sexual assault or status as a victim of trafficking in persons. [;]
(7) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent: (A) To
terminate a woman's employment because of her pregnancy; (B) to
refuse to grant to that employee a reasonable leave of absence for
disability resulting from her pregnancy; (C) to deny to that employee,
who is disabled as a result of pregnancy, any compensation to which
she is entitled as a result of the accumulation of disability or leave
benefits accrued pursuant to plans maintained by the employer; (D) to
fail or refuse to reinstate the employee to her original job or to an
equivalent position with equivalent pay and accumulated seniority,
retirement, fringe benefits and other service credits upon her signifying
her intent to return unless, in the case of a private employer, the
employer's circumstances have so changed as to make it impossible or
unreasonable to do so; (E) to limit, segregate or classify the employee in
a way that would deprive her of employment opportunities due to her
pregnancy; (F) to discriminate against an employee or person seeking
employment on the basis of her pregnancy in the terms or conditions of
her employment; (G) to fail or refuse to make a reasonable
accommodation for an employee or person seeking employment due to
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her pregnancy, unless the employer can demonstrate that such
accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such employer;
(H) to deny employment opportunities to an employee or person
seeking employment if such denial is due to the employee's request for
a reasonable accommodation due to her pregnancy; (I) to force an
employee or person seeking employment affected by pregnancy to
accept a reasonable accommodation if such employee or person seeking
employment (i) does not have a known limitation related to her
pregnancy, or (ii) does not require a reasonable accommodation to
perform the essential duties related to her employment; (J) to require an
employee to take a leave of absence if a reasonable accommodation can
be provided in lieu of such leave; and (K ) to retaliate against an
employee in the terms, conditions or privileges of her employment
based upon such employee's request for a reasonable accommodation .
[;]
(8) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization,
by itself or its agent, to harass any employee, person seeking
employment or member on the basis of sex or gender ide ntity or
expression. If an employer takes immediate corrective action in
response to an employee's claim of sexual harassment, such corrective
action shall not modify the conditions of employment of the employee
making the claim of sexual harassment unless such employee agrees, in
writing, to any modification in the conditions of employment.
"Corrective action" taken by an employer, includes, but is not limited to,
employee relocation, assigning an employee to a different work
schedule or other substant ive changes to an employee's terms and
conditions of employment. Notwithstanding an employer's failure to
obtain a written agreement from an employee concerning a modification
in the conditions of employment, the commission may find that
corrective action taken by an employer was reasonable and not of
detriment to the complainant based on the evidence presented to the
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commission by the complainant and respondent. As used in this
subdivision, "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome sexual
advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature
when (A) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or
implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (B)
submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as
the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (C)
such conduct has the purpose or effect of subs tantially interfering with
an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or
offensive working environment. [;]
(9) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization,
by itself or its agent, to request or require information from an
employee, person seeking employment or member relat ing to the
individual's child -bearing age or plans, pregnancy, function of the
individual's reproductive system, use of birth control methods, or the
individual's familial responsibilities, unless such information is directly
related to a bona fide occ upational qualification or need, provided an
employer, through a physician may request from an employee any such
information which is directly related to workplace exposure to
substances which may cause birth defects or constitute a hazard to an
individual's reproductive system or to a fetus if the employer first
informs the employee of the hazards involved in exposure to such
substances. [;]
(10) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, after
informing an employee, pursuant to subdivision (9) of this subsection,
of a workplace exposure to substances which may cause birth defects or
constitute a hazard to an employee's reproductive system or to a fetus,
to fail or refuse, upon the employee's request, to take reasonable
measures to protect the employee from the exposure or hazard
identified, or to fail or refuse to inform the employee that the measures
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taken may be the subject of a complaint filed under the provisions of
this chapter. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to prohibit an
employer from taking reasonable measures to protect an employee from
exposure to such substances. For the purpose of this subdivision,
"reasonable measures" are those measures which are consistent with
business necessity and are least disruptive of the terms and conditions
of the employee's employment. [;]
(11) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, for an
employment agency, by itself or its agent, or for any labor organization,
by itself or its agent: (A) To request or require genetic information from
an employee, person seeking employment or member, or (B) to
discharge, expel or otherwise discriminate against any person on the
basis of genetic information. For the purpose of this subdivision,
"genetic information" means the information about genes, gene
products or inherited characteristics that may derive from an individual
or a family member. [;]
(12) For an employer, by the employer or the employer's agent, to
request or require a prospective employee's age, date of birth, dates of
attendance at or date of graduation from an educational institution on
an initial employment application, provided the pro visions of this
subdivision shall not apply to any employer requesting or requiring
such information (A) based on a bona fide occupational qualification or
need, or (B) when such information is required to comply with any
provision of state or federal law. [; and]
(13) (A) For an employer or the employer's agent to deny an employee
a reasonable leave of absence in order to: (i) Seek attention for injuries
caused by domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons,
including for a child who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault
or trafficking in persons, provided the employee is not the perpetrator
of any act of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons
committed against a child; (ii) obtain services including safety planning
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from a domestic violence agency or rape crisis center, as those terms are
defined in section 52 -146k, as a result of domestic violence, sexual
assault or trafficking in persons; (iii) obtain psychological counseling
related to an incident or incidents of d omestic violence, sexual assault
or trafficking in persons, including for a child who is a victim of
domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons, provided the
employee is not the perpetrator of any act of domestic violence, sexual
assault o r trafficking in persons committed against a child; (iv) take
other actions to increase safety from future incidents of domestic
violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons, including temporary
or permanent relocation; or (v) obtain legal services, assisting in the
prosecution of the offense, or otherwise participate in legal proceedings
in relation to the incident or incidents of domestic violence, sexual
assault or trafficking in persons.
(B) An employee who is absent from work in accordance with the
provisions of subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall, within a
reasonable time after the absence, provide a certification to the employer
when requested by the employer. Such certification shall be in the form
of: (i) A police report indicating that the employee or the employee's
child was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in
persons; (ii) a court order protecting or separating the employee or
employee's child from the perpetrator of an act of domestic violence,
sexual assault or trafficking in persons; (iii) other evidence from the
court or prosecuting attorney that the employee appeared in court; or
(iv) documentation from a medical professional, including a domes tic
violence counselor or sexual assault counselor, as those terms are
defined in section 52 -146k, or other health care provider, that the
employee or the employee's child was receiving services, counseling or
treatment for physical or mental injuries or a buse resulting in
victimization from an act of domestic violence, sexual assault or
trafficking in persons.
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(C) Where an employee has a physical or mental disability resulting
from an incident or series of incidents of domestic violence, sexual
assault or trafficking in persons, such employee shall be treated in the
same manner as an employee with any other disability.
(D) To the extent permitted by law, employers shall maintain the
confidentiality of any information regarding an employee's status as a
victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking in persons.
Sec. 14. Section 46a -81c of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: (1) For
an employer, by [himself] the employer or [his] the employer's agent,
except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to
refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any
individual or to discriminate against [him] any individual in
compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment
because of the individual's sexual orientation or civil union status, (2)
for any employment ag ency, except in the case of a bona fide
occupational qualification or need, to fail or refuse to classify properly
or refer for employment or otherwise to discriminate against any
individual because of the individual's sexual orientation or civil union
status, (3) for a labor organization, because of the sexual orientation or
civil union status of any individual to exclude from full membership
rights or to expel from its membership such individual or to
discriminate in any way against any of its members or against any
employer or any individual employed by an employer, unless such
action is based on a bona fide occupational qualification, or (4) for any
person, employer, employment agency or labor organization, except in
the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to advertise
employment opportunities in such a manner as to restrict such
employment so as to discriminate against individuals because of their
sexual orientation or civil union status. In any action for a
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discriminatory practice in violation of subdivision (1) of this section
involving an automated employment-related decision technology , as
defined in section 7 of this act, the use of an automated employment -
related decision technology shall not be a defense against a complaint.
The commission or court may consider evidence of anti -bias testing or
similar proactive efforts to avoid such discriminatory practice,
including, but not limited to, the quality, efficacy, recency and scope of
such testing or efforts , the results of such testing or efforts and the
response thereto.
Sec. 15. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Consumer" means an individual who is a resident of this state;
(2) "Covered provider" (A) means any person who creates, codes or
otherwise produces a generative artificial intelligence system that (i) has
more than one million users per month, and (ii) is publicly accessible to
consumers for personal use, and (B) does not include any federal, state
or local government agency;
(3) "Generative artificial intelligence system" (A) means any
technology that uses machine learning to generate images, audio or
video, and (B) includes, but is not limited to, any system utilizing deep
learning, natural language processing or other computatio nal
processing techniques of similar or greater complexity;
(4) "Materially alter" (A) means to substantially alter the data in any
content, and (B) does not include any minor modification that does not
lead to a significant change in the perceived content or meaning thereof,
including, but not limited to, any (i) change in brightness, contrast or
color, (ii) sharpening, (iii) saturation, (iv) application of a filter, (v)
resizing, (vi) scaling, (vii) cropping, (viii) format conversion, (ix)
resampling, (x) denoising, or (xi) removal of background noise in audio;
(5) "Person" means an individual, association, corporation, limited
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liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity; and
(6) "Provenance data" means data that are embedded into digital
content or that are included in the digital content's metadata for the
purpose of verifying the digital content's authenticity, origin or history
of modification.
(b) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, each
covered provider shall:
(A) To the extent commercially and technically reasonable, include
provenance data in any audio, image or video content, or in any content
that is a combination thereof, that is created or materially altered by
such covered provider's generative artificial intelligence system in a
manner that allows a consumer to assess whether such content was
created or materially altered by such covered provider's generative
artificial intelligence system; and
(B) Use commercially and technically reasonable methods, including,
but not limited to, the relevant standard established by the Coalition for
Content Provenance and Authenticity, to make the provenance data that
are included in any content pursuant to sub paragraph (A) of this
subdivision difficult to tamper with, remove or disassociate from such
content.
(2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not be
construed to:
(A) Require (i) a covered provider to include any information relating
to an identified or reasonably identifiable individual in the provenance
data included in any content created or materially altered by the covered
provider's generative artificial intelligence system, or (ii) the disclosure
of (I) any information that is a trade secret or otherwise protected from
disclosure under state or federal law, or (II) any confidential or
proprietary information concerning the design or use of a generative
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artificial intelligence system; or
(B) Apply to (i) any business -to-business use, sale, licensing or
distribution of a generative artificial intelligence system, (ii) any
product, service, Internet web site or application that solely provides
consumers with video game or interactive experiences, which
experiences may include (I) direct sales of goods or services to
consumers through the Internet, and (II) allowing consu mers to
virtually browse, select and purchase items, or (iii) any system that is
used solely for upscaling, noise reduction or compression.
(c) Any violation of the provisions of subsection (b) of this section
shall constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice for the purposes of
subsection (a) of section 42 -110b of the general statutes and shall be
enforced solely by the Attorney General. The provisions of section 42 -
110g of the general statutes shall not apply to any such violation.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as providing the basis for a
private right of action.
Sec. 16. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" means any machine-based system that, for
any explicit or implicit objective, infers from the inputs such system
receives how to generate outputs, including, but not limited to, content,
decisions, predictions or recommendations, that can influence physical
or virtual environments; and
(2) "Legislative leader" has the same meaning as provided in section
4-9d of the general statutes.
(b) Any legislative leader may request that the executive director of
the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering designate a fellow
selected by said academy to serve as such legislative leader's liaison
with said academy, the office of the Attorney General and the
Department of Economic and Community Development for purposes
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of:
(1) Evaluating (A) the adoption of artificial intelligence by businesses,
(B) the challenges posed to, and needs of, businesses in (i) adopting
artificial intelligence, and (ii) understanding laws and regulations
concerning artificial intelligence, and (C) how businesses that use
artificial intelligence hire employees with necessary skills concerning
artificial intelligence;
(2) Creating a plan for the state to provide high -performance
computing services to businesses and researchers in the state;
(3) Evaluating the benefits of creating a state -wide research
collaborative among health care providers to enable the development of
advanced analytics, ethical and trustworthy artificial intelligence and
hands-on workforce education while using methods that protect patient
privacy;
(4) Evaluating, and making recommendations concerning, (A) the
establishment of testbeds to support safeguards and systems to prevent
the misuse of artificial intelligence, (B) risk assessments for the misuse
of artificial intelligence, (C) evaluation stra tegies for artificial
intelligence, and (D) the development, testing and evaluation of
resources to support state oversight of artificial intelligence;
(5) Developing a plan to design or identify an algorithmic computer
model for the purpose of simulating and assessing various public policy
decisions or proposed public policy decisions and the actual or potential
effects of such decisions or proposed decisions; and
(6) Developing a plan to establish a technology transfer program (A)
for the purpose of supporting commercialization of new ideas and
research among public and private institutions of higher education in
the state, and (B) by working with (i) relevant publ ic and private
organizations, including, but not limited to, the Department of
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Economic and Community Development, and (ii) The University of
Connecticut and a state -wide consortium of public and private entities
in the state, including, but not limited to, public and private institutions
of higher education in the state, designed to advance the development,
application and impact of artificial intelligence across the state, to assess
whether The University of Connecticut can support technology
commercialization at other public and private institutions of higher
education in the state.
(c) No fellow of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
designated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall be deemed a
state employee, or receive any compensation from the state, for
performing such fellow's duties under said subsection.
(d) Not later than January 1, 2027, the fellows of the Connecticut
Academy of Science and Engineering designated pursuant to subsection
(b) of this section shall jointly submit a report, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11 -4a of the general sta tutes, to the joint standing
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to commerce and consumer protection.
Sec. 17. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) (a) As used in this section,
"artificial intelligence" means any machine -based system that, for any
explicit or implicit objective, infers from the inputs such system receives
how to generate outputs, including, but not limited to, content,
decisions, predictions or recommendations, that can influence physical
or virtual environments.
(b) Not later than December 31, 2026, the Board of Regents for Higher
Education shall establish, on behalf of Charter Oak State College and in
consultation with the Labor Department, the State Board of Education,
Workforce Investment Boards, employers and institutions of higher
education in the state, a "Connecticut AI Academy". The academy shall,
at a minimum:
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(1) Curate and offer online courses concerning artificial intelligence
and the responsible use of artificial intelligence;
(2) Promote digital literacy;
(3) Prepare students for careers in fields involving artificial
intelligence;
(4) Offer courses and provide resources directed at individuals
between thirteen and twenty years of age;
(5) Offer courses and provide resources that prepare small businesses
and nonprofit organizations to utilize artificial intelligence to improve
marketing and management efficiency;
(6) Develop courses concerning artificial intelligence that the Labor
Department and Workforce Investment Boards may incorporate into
workforce training programs;
(7) In consultation with relevant stakeholders, including, but not
limited to, bargaining units representing teachers in the state, develop
and offer courses and videos for primary and secondary school teachers
and administrators (A) concerning the appropr iate use of artificial
intelligence in primary and secondary school classrooms, (B) instructing
such teachers how to use artificial intelligence, and (C) providing ideas
to teachers regarding how to instruct primary and secondary school
students in the use of artificial intelligence;
(8) Enable persons providing free or discounted public Internet
access to distribute information and provide mentorship concerning
artificial intelligence, the academy and methods available for the public
to obtain free or discounted devices capable of acc essing the Internet
and utilizing artificial intelligence;
(9) Develop a course to develop durable skills based on the Business-
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Higher Education Forum's guidance concerning essential skills for the
artificial intelligence economy; and
(10) Collaborate with various industry partners to offer (A)
coursework for workers concerning concepts related to artificial
intelligence, including, but not limited to, coursework to improve
workers' skills related to artificial intelligence, and (B) pro grams to
educate residents of the state on concepts related to artificial
intelligence, with a special focus on small and medium businesses.
(c) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall, in consultation
with Charter Oak State College, develop certificates and badges to be
awarded to persons who successfully complete courses offered by the
Connecticut AI Academy.
Sec. 18. (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as provided in
section 17 of this act;
(2) "General-purpose artificial intelligence model" (A) means a model
used by any form of artificial intelligence that (i) displays significant
generality, (ii) is capable of competently performing a wide range of
distinct tasks, and (iii) can be integrate d into a variety of downstream
applications or systems, and (B) does not include any artificial
intelligence model that is used for development, prototyping and
research activities before such artificial intelligence model is released on
the market; and
(3) "Synthetic digital content" means any digital content, including,
but not limited to, any audio, image, text or video, that is produced or
manipulated by any form of artificial intelligence, including, but not
limited to, generative artificial intelligence.
(b) There is established a working group to engage stakeholders and
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experts to:
(1) Make recommendations concerning:
(A) The best practices to avoid the negative impacts, and to maximize
the positive impacts, on services and state employees in connection with
the implementation of new digital technologies, including, but not
limited to, artificial intelligence;
(B) The collection of reports, recommendations and plans from state
agencies considering the implementation of artificial intelligence, and
the assessment of such reports, recommendations and plans against the
best practices described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision; and
(C) Any other matters that the working group may deem relevant for
the purp oses of avoiding t he negative impacts, and maximizing the
positive impacts, described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision;
(2) Make recommendations concerning artificial intelligence and
small businesses, including, but not limited to, recommendations to (A)
create resources for the purpose of assisting small businesses to adopt
artificial intelligence to improve their efficie ncy and operations, (B)
accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence agents by small
businesses, and (C) properly apportion liability related to actions
performed by artificial intelligence agents on behalf of small businesses;
(3) Make recommendations and develop proposals to create a
technology court for the purpose of adjudicating artificial intelligence,
data privacy and other technology-related issues;
(4) Propose legislation to (A) regulate the use of g eneral-purpose
artificial intelligence models, and (B) require social media platforms to
provide a signal when such social media platforms are displaying
synthetic digital content;
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(5) After reviewing the laws and regulations, and any proposed
legislation or regulations, of other states concerning artificial
intelligence, propose legislation concerning artificial intelligence;
(6) Develop an outreach plan for the purpose of bridging the digital
divide and providing workforce training to persons who do not have
high-speed Internet access;
(7) Evaluate and make recommendations concerning:
(A) The establishment of testbeds to support safeguards and systems
to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence;
(B) Risk assessments for the misuse of artificial intelligence;
(C) Evaluation strategies for artificial intelligence;
(D) The development, testing and evaluation of resources to support
state oversight of artificial intelligence; and
(E) The laws under which independent verification organizations are
created;
(8) Review the protections afforded to trade secrets and other
proprietary information under existing state law and make
recommendations concerning such protections;
(9) Make recommendations concerning the establishment and
membership of a permanent artificial intelligence advisory council; and
(10) Make such other recommendations concerning artificial
intelligence that the working group may deem appropriate.
(c) (1) (A) The working group shall be part of the Legislative
Department and consist of the following voting members: (i) One
appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be
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a representative of the industries that are developing artificial
intelligence; (ii) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the
Senate, who shall be a representative of the industries that are using
artificial intelligence; (iii) one appointed by th e majority leader of the
House of Representatives, who shall be an academic with a
concentration in the study of technology and technology policy; (iv) one
appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be an academic
with a concentration in the study of government and public policy; (v)
one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives,
who shall be a representative of an industry association representing the
industries that are developing artificial intelligence; (vi) one app ointed
by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a representative of an
industry association representing the industries that are using artificial
intelligence; (vii) one appointed by the House chairperson of the joint
standing committee of the Ge neral Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to consumer protection; (viii) one appointed by the
Senate chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer
protection; (ix) one appointed by the House ranking member of the joint
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to consumer protection, who shall be a representative
of the artificial intelligence industry or a related industry; (x) one
appointed by the Senate ranking member of the joint standing
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to consumer protection, who shall be a representative of the
artificial intelligence industry or a related industry; (xi) one a ppointed
by the House chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor, who shall be a
representative of a labor organization; (xii) one appointed by the Senate
chairperson of the joint stan ding committee of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to labor, who shall be a
representative of a labor organization; (xiii) one appointed by the House
ranking member of the joint standing committee of the General
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Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor, who shall be a
representative of a small business; (xiv) one appointed by the Senate
ranking member of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor, who shall be a
representative of a small business; and (xv) two appointed by the
Governor, who shall be members of the Connecticut Academy of
Science and Engineering.
(B) All voting members of the working group appointed pursuant to
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision shall have professional experience
or academic qualifications in matters pertaining to artificial intelligence,
automated systems, government policy or another related field.
(C) All initial appointments to the working group shall be made not
later than July 31, 2026. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing
authority.
(D) Any action taken by the working group shall be taken by a
majority vote of all members present who are entitled to vote, provided
no such action may be taken unless at least fifty per cent of such
members are present.
(2) The working group shall include the following nonvoting, ex -
officio members: (A) The House chairperson of the joint standing
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to consumer protection; (B) the Senate chairperson of t he joint
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to consumer protection; (C) the House chairperson of
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to labor; (D) the Senate chairperson of the
joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to labor; (E) the Attorney General, or the Attorney
General's designee; (F) the Comptroller, or the Comptroller's designee;
(G) the Treasurer, or the Treasurer's designee; (H) the Commissioner of
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Administrative Services, or the commissioner's designee; (I) the Chief
Data Officer, or the officer's designee; (J) the executive director of the
Freedom of Information Commission, or the executive director's
designee; (K) the executive director of the Com mission on Women,
Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, or the executive director's
designee; (L) the Chief Court Administrator, or the administrator's
designee; and (M) the executive director of the Connecticut Academy of
Science and Engineering, or the executive director's designee.
(d) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer protection
and the executive director of the Connecticut Academy of Science and
Engineering shall serve as chairpersons of the wo rking group. The
chairpersons of the working group shall schedule the first meeting of
the working group, which shall be held not later than August 31, 2026.
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer
protection shall serve as administrative staff of the working group.
(f) Not later than February 1, 2027, the working group shall submit a
report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to consumer protection, in accordance with the pr ovisions of
section 11-4a of the general statutes. The working group shall terminate
on the date that the working group submits such report or February 1,
2027, whichever is later.
Sec. 19. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2027) The Labor Department shall
provide a notice, in a form and manner prescribed by the Labor
Commissioner, to each individual who makes a claim for
unemployment compensation disclosing the existence of, and courses
and services offered by, the Connecticut A I Academy established
pursuant to section 17 of this act.
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Sec. 20. (NEW) ( Effective January 1, 2027 ) The Secretary of the State,
within available appropriations and in collaboration with Charter Oak
State College, shall utilize the means by which the office of the Secretary
of the State communicates with small businesses to disseminate
information conce rning the courses offered by the Connecticut AI
Academy, established pursuant to section 17 of this act, that prepare
small businesses to utilize artificial intelligence to improve marketing
and management efficienc y. As used in this section, "artificial
intelligence" has the same meaning as provided in section 17 of this act.
Sec. 21. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2027) The Department of Housing,
within available appropriations, shall work with housing authorities
and other relevant housing providers to ensure that residents of the state
are aware of the courses and services offered by the Connecticut AI
Academy established pursuant to section 17 of this act.
Sec. 22. Subsection (b) of section 17b -751b of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January
1, 2027):
(b) The commissioner shall: (1) Ensure that all home visiting
programs (A) are one or more of the evidence -based home visiting
models that meet the criteria for evidence of effectiveness developed by
the federal Department of Health and Human Services, and (B) provide
information to parents of infants and young children served by any such
program regarding the Connecticut AI Academy established pursuant
to section 17 of this act; (2) provide oversight of home visiting programs
to insure model fidelity; and (3) develop, issue and evaluate requests for
proposals to procure the services required by this section. In evaluating
the proposals, the commissioner shall take into consideration the most
effective and consistent service delivery system allowing for the
continuation of current public and private programs.
Sec. 23. Section 10-21l of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes
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is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2026):
There is established an account to be known as the ["computer science
education account" ] "computer science education and workforce
development account", which shall be a separate, nonlapsing account.
The account shall contain any moneys required or permitted by law to
be deposited in the account and any funds received from any public or
private contributions, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or devises to the
account. The Department of Education may make expenditures from the
account (1) to support curri culum development, teacher professional
development, capacity development for school districts [,] and other
programs for the purposes of supporting computer science education ,
and (2) in coordination with the Office of Workforce Strategy and the
Board of Regents for Higher Education, for the purpose of supporting
workforce development initiatives.
Sec. 24. Section 32 -7p of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026):
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as provided in
section 17 of this act;
(2) "Foundation model" means any engineered or machine -based
system that (A) varies in its level of autonomy, (B) can, for any explicit
or implicit objective, infer from the inputs such system receives how to
generate outputs that can influence any physical or virtual environment,
(C) is trained on a broad data set, (D) is designed for generality of
output, and (E) is adaptable to a wide range of distinctive tasks;
(3) "Generative artificial intelligence" means any form of artificial
intelligence, including, but not limited to, a foundation model, that is
able to produce synthetic digital content;
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(4) "Prompt engineering" means the process of guiding generative
artificial intelligence to generate a desired output; and
(5) "Synthetic digital content" means any digital content, including,
but not limited to, any audio, image, text or video, that is produced or
manipulated by any form of artificial intelligence, including, but not
limited to, generative artificial intelligence.
[(a)] (b) There shall be a Technology Talent and Innovation Fund
Advisory Committee within the Department of Economic and
Community Development. Such committee shall consist of members
appointed by the Commissioner of Economic and Community
Development, including, but not limited to, representatives of The
University of Connecticut, the Board of Regents for Higher Education,
independent institutions of higher education, the Office of Workforce
Strategy and private industry. Such members shall be subject to term
limits prescribed by the commissioner. Each member shall hold office
until a successor is appointed.
[(b)] (c) The commissioner shall call the first meeting of the advisory
committee not later than October 15, 2016. The advisory committee shall
meet not less than quarterly thereafter and at such other times as the
chairperson deems necessary. The Technology Talent and Innovation
Fund Advisory Committee shall designate the chairperson of the
committee from among its members.
[(c)] (d) No member of the advisory committee shall receive
compensation for such member's service, except that each member shall
be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred
during the performance of such member's official duties.
[(d)] (e) A majority of members of the advisory committee shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business or the exercise
of any power of the advisory committee. The advisory committee may
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act by a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a
quorum is in attendance, for the transaction of any business or the
exercise of any power of the advisory committee, except as otherwise
provided in this section.
[(e)] (f) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, it shall
not constitute a conflict of interest for a trustee, director, partner or
officer of any person, firm or corporation, or any individual having a
financial interest in a person, firm or corporation, to serve as a member
of the advisory committee, provided such trustee, director, partner,
officer or individual complies with all applicable provisions of chapter
10. All members of the advisory committee shall be deemed public
officials and shall adhere to the code of ethics for public officials set forth
in chapter 10, except that no member shall be required to file a statement
of financial interest as described in section 1-83.
[(f) The Technology Talent Advisory Committee shall, in the
following order of priority, (1) calculate the number of software
developers and other persons (A) employed in technology -based fields
where there is a shortage of qualified employees in this state for
businesses to hire, including, but not limited to, data mining, data
analysis and cybersecurity, and (B) employed by businesses located in
Connecticut as of December 31, 2016; (2) develop pilot programs to
recruit software developers to Connecticut a nd train residents of the
state in software development and such other technology fields, with
the goal of increasing the number of software developers and persons
employed in such other technology fields residing in Connecticut and
employed by businesses in Connecticut by at least double the number
calculated pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection by January 1,
2026; and (3) identify other technology industries where there is a
shortage of qualified employees in this state for growth stage businesses
to hire.]
(g) The Technology Talent and Innovation Fund Advisory
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Committee may partner with institutions of higher education and other
nonprofit organizations to develop [pilot] programs [for (1) marketing
and publicity campaigns designed to recruit technology talent to the
state; (2) student loan deferral or forgiveness for students who start
businesses in the state; and (3) training, apprenticeship and gap -year
initiatives] to expand the technology talent pipeline in the state,
including, but not limited to, in the fields of artificial intelligence and
quantum computing.
[(h) The Technology Talent Advisory Committee shall report, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, and present such report
to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to commerce, education, higher
education and finance, revenue and bonding on or before January 1,
2017, concerning the (1) pilot programs developed pursuant to
subsections (f) and (g) of this section, (2) number of software developers
and persons employed in technology -based field s described in
subsection (f) of this section targeted for recruitment pursuant to
subsection (f) of this section, and (3) timeline and measures for reaching
the recruitment target.]
(h) Not later than July 1, 2027, the Technology Talent and Innovation
Fund Advisory Committee shall partner with public and private
institutions of higher education in the state and other training providers
to develop programs in the field of artificial intelligence, including, but
not limited to, in areas such as prompt engineering, artificial intelligence
marketing for small businesses and artificial intelligence for small
business operations.
Sec. 25. Subdivision (6) of subsection (b) of section 32-235 of the 2026
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026):
(6) For the purpose of funding the costs of the Technology Talent and
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Innovation Fund Advisory Committee established pursuant to section
32-7p, as amended by this act , provided not more than ten million
dollars may be used on or after July 1, 2023, for such purpose;
Sec. 26. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) Each employer that serves
written notice on the Labor Department pursuant to 29 USC 2102(a), as
amended from time to time, shall disclose to the department, in a form
and manner prescribed by the Labor Commissioner, whether the layoffs
that are the subje ct of such written notice are related to the employer's
use of artificial intelligence or another technological change. As used in
this section, "artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as provided
in section 17 of this act.
Sec. 27. Subsection (d) of section 10 -145a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2026):
(d) On and after July 1, [2020] 2026, any program of teacher
preparation leading to professional certification shall include, as part of
the curriculum, instruction in computer science, which may include
instruction in topics such as the responsible use of emerging
technologies, and instruction in information technology skills as applied
to student learning and classroom instruction that are grade -level and
subject area appropriate.
Sec. 28. Section 32 -1o of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Advanced manufacturing" has the same meaning as provided in
section 31-11ss;
(2) "Artificial intelligence" means any machine-based system that, for
any explicit or implicit objective, infers from the inputs such system
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receives how to generate outputs, including, but not limited to, content,
decisions, predictions or recommendations, that can influence physical
or virtual environments; and
(3) "Quantum computing" means computing based on quantum
mechanical effects, including, but not limited to, superposition and
entanglement, in addition to classical digital manipulations.
[(a)] (b) On or before July 1, 2015, and every four years thereafter, the
Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, within
available appropriations, shall prepare an economic development
strategic plan for the state in consultation with the Secretary of the Office
of Policy and Management, the Co mmissioners of Energy and
Environmental Protection and Transportation, the Labor
Commissioner, the executive directors of the Connecticut Housing
Finance Authority and the Connecticut Health and Educationa l
Facilities Authority, and the chief executive officer of Connecticut
Innovations, Incorporated, or their respective designees, and any other
agencies the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development
deems appropriate.
[(b)] (c) In developing the strategic plan, the Commissioner of
Economic and Community Development shall:
(1) Ensure that the strategic plan is consistent with (A) the text and
locational guide map of the state plan of conservation and development
adopted pursuant to chapter 297, and (B) the state's consolidated plan
for housing and community development prepared pursuant to section
8-37t;
(2) (A) Consult regional councils of governments, regional planning
organizations, regional economic development agencies, interested
state and local officials, entities involved in economic and community
development, stakeholders and business, economic, labor, c ommunity
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and housing organizations, and (B) for each strategic plan developed on
or after July 1, 2026, consult with the Connecticut Academy of Science
and Engineering;
(3) (A) Consider [(A)] (i) regional economic, community and housing
development plans, and [(B)] (ii) applicable state and local workforce
investment strategies, and (B) for each strategic plan developed on or
after July 1, 2026, consider plans to foster innovation in advanced
manufacturing, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics and
other emerging technologies;
(4) Assess and evaluate the economic development challenges and
opportunities of the state and against the economic development
competitiveness of other states and regions; and
(5) Host regional forums to provide for public involvement in the
planning process.
[(c)] (d) The strategic plan required under this section shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
(1) A review and evaluation of the economy of the state, including its
strengths;
(2) A review and analysis of factors, issues and forces that impact or
impede economic development and responsible growth in Connecticut
and its constituent regions;
(3) An analysis of targeted industry sectors in the state that (A)
identifies those industry sectors that are of current or future importance
to the growth of the state's economy and to its global competitive
position, (B) identifies what those industry sectors need for continued
growth, and (C) identifies those industry sectors' current and potential
impediments to growth;
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(4) Establishment and articulation of a vision for Connecticut that
identifies where the state should be in the future;
(5) Establishment of prioritized, clear and measurable goals and
objectives for the state and regions and clear steps and strategies to
achieve said goals and objectives, which may include, but shall not be
limited to : (A) The promotion of economic development and
opportunity, (B) the fostering of effective transportation access and
choice including the use of airports and ports for economic
development, (C) enhancement and protection of the environment, (D)
maximization of the effective development and use of the workforce
consistent with applicable state or local workforce investment strategy,
(E) promotion of the use of technology in economic development,
including access to high-speed telecommunications, and (F) the balance
of resources through sound management of physical development;
(6) Establishment of relevant measures that clearly identify and
quantify (A) whether a goal and objective is being met at the state,
regional, local and private sector level, and (B) cause and effect
relationships, and provide a clear and replicable measureme nt
methodology;
(7) For each strategic plan developed on or after July 1, 2026, (A) a
strategic technology plan to foster i nnovation in advanced
manufacturing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and (B)
an analysis of how the strategic technology plan will promote economic
growth and development in the state;
[(7)] (8) Recommendations on how the state can best achieve goals
under the strategic plan; and
[(8)] (9) Any other responsible growth information that the
commissioner deems appropriate.
[(d)] (e) On or before July 1, 2019, and every four years thereafter, the
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Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall submit
the economic development strategic plan for the state to the Governor
for approval. The Governor shall review and approve or disapprove
such plan not more than sixty days after submission. The plan shall be
effective upon approval by the Governor or sixty day s after the date of
submission.
[(e)] (f) Upon approval, the commissioner shall submit the economic
development strategic plan to the joint standing committees of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce,
planning and development, appropriations and the budgets of sta te
agencies and finance, revenue and bonding. Not later than thirty days
after such submission, the commissioner shall post the plan on the web
site of the Department of Economic and Community Development.
[(f)] (g) The commissioner, from time to time, may revise and update
the strategic plan upon approval of the Governor. The commissioner
shall post any such revisions on the web site of the Department of
Economic and Community Development.
Sec. 29. ( Effective from passage ) (a) The Institute for Municipal and
Regional Policy at The University of Connecticut shall conduct a study
to understand and track, and develop a comprehensive strategy to
address, the impact of artificial intelligence on the state's workforce.
(b) The study conducted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section
shall include:
(1) Participation by research partners with expertise in artificial
intelligence, economics, workforce development and related fields;
(2) An assessment of (A) the methods that are available to track
layoffs and job displacements in the state that are associated with
artificial intelligence, (B) the impact that artificial intelligence may have
on (i) entry -level employment in the state, a nd (ii) women and
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populations that are underrepresented in the state's workforce, and (C)
the data elements collected by the Labor Department and other relevant
state agencies that may be used to understand and track the impact of
artificial intelligence on the state's workforce; and
(3) Scenario planning across a range of potential artificial intelligence
adoption and impact levels.
(c) The comprehensive strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a)
of this section shall include recommendations regarding:
(1) Methods to be used by the state to (A) support the collection,
analysis and dissemination of data necessary to understand and track
the impact of artificial intelligence on the state's workforce, and (B) track
layoffs and job displacements in the state that are associated with
artificial intelligence;
(2) Additional data elements to be collected by the Labor Department
and other relevant state agencies to understand and track the impact of
artificial intelligence on the state's workforce;
(3) A framework for recurring analyses to understand and track, and
public reporting to disclose, the impact of artificial intelligence on the
state's workforce; and
(4) Changes in state policies and programs, including, but not limited
to, workforce training and reskilling programs, to mitigate adverse
employment impacts in the state that are associated with artificial
intelligence.
(d) State agencies shall cooperate with the Institute for Municipal and
Regional Policy at The University of Connecticut for the purposes of
conducting the study, and developing the comprehensive strategy,
pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
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(e) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Institute for Municipal and
Regional Policy at The University of Connecticut shall submit a report
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to consumer protection, in accordance
with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Such report
shall include the results of the study conducted, and the comprehensive
strategy developed, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 30. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) The office of the Treasurer
shall, within available appropriations, make efforts to ensure that the
parents or legal guardian of each designated beneficiary of the
Connecticut Baby Bond Trust established in section 3-36b of the general
statutes is aware of the Connecticut AI Academy established pursuant
to section 17 of this act and the courses and services offered by said
academy.
Sec. 31. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) The Office of Higher Education
shall, within existing appropriations, engage an alliance composed of
the majority of public and private institutions of higher education in the
state regarding the coordination of research, workforce development
and industry partnerships across academic institutions for the purpose
of developing and implementing a program to bolster artificial
intelligence cooperation, including, but not limited to, by:
(1) At least annually, convening a research symposium to present and
highlight artificial intelligence research in the state;
(2) At least quarterly, convening a meeting of academic, industry and
public institutions to identify the state's workforce, skill and
programmatic needs with respect to artificial intelligence;
(3) Implementing a talent -matching program that (A) matches
students with industry-led projects in the field of artificial intelligence,
including, but not limited to, industry-led projects focused on state and
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municipal use cases for artificial intelligence, and (B) implements an
artificial intelligence talent pipeline;
(4) (A) At least annually, conducting a competition that is open to the
public, including, but not limited to, students, and requires competition
participants to use artificial intelligence to help solve challenges
identified by state agencies, and (B) not later than sixty days following
completion of such competition, preparing an annual report disclosing
potential solutions to, and best practices to address, such challenges and
submitting such report to the Commissioner of Economic and
Community Developme nt and the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer
protection, in accordance with the p rovisions of section 11 -4a of the
general statutes;
(5) Fostering connections between technology transfer programs at
public and private institutions of higher education in the state; and
(6) Creating a plan to provide researchers and students with shared
access to high-performance computing.
Sec. 32. ( Effective from passage ) (a) As used in this section, "artificial
intelligence" has the same meaning as provided in section 32 -1o of the
general statutes, as amended by this act.
(b) During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the office of the
Comptroller may, within available appropriations and in collaboration
with Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, a center for health care
innovation at a health system in the state and oth er relevant
stakeholders, serve as a member of the steering committee for a
competition conducted for the purpose of fostering artificial intelligence
utilization to improve health equity and health outcomes in the state. As
part of such competition, the o ffice of the Comptroller may, after
consulting with all relevant stakeholders, make relevant data available
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to competition participants for the purpose of developing artificial
intelligence models to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs.
The office of the Comptroller shall make such relevant data available to
competition participants in compliance with (1) all applicable federal
and state laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104 -191, as
amended from time to time, and the regulations adopted thereunder,
and (2) all applicable standards for the deidentification of data.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this section,
the office of the Comptroller shall not make any data available to a
competition participant unless the competition participant has entered
into a written agreement with said office, whi ch agreement shall
provide, at a minimum, that (1) no attempt shall be made to reidentify
any data made available to such competition participant under
subsection (b) of this section, including, but not limited to, any
personally identifiable information i ncluded in such data, (2) such
competition participant shall use such data exclusively for the purposes
of such competition and as expressly authorized by said office, and (3)
such competition participant shall not sell, transfer or license such data.
Sec. 33. (Effective July 1, 2027) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Consumer
Protection;
(2) "Department" means the Department of Consumer Protection;
(3) "Independent verification organization" means an independent
third-party entity approved as part of the pilot program to assess the
adherence of artificial intelligence models to standards reflecting best
practices for risk mitigation and the prevention of harm;
(4) "Person" has the same meaning as provided in section 42 -110a of
the general statutes; and
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(5) "Pilot program" means the pilot program established pursuant to
subsection (b) of this section.
(b) The Department of Consumer Protection shall, within available
appropriations, develop and administer a pilot program to evaluate the
use of independent verification programs administered by independent
third-party entities to assess the adherence of artificial intelligence
models to standards reflecting best practices for the prevention of
personal injury, property damage, data privacy harms and other harms.
The pilot program shall terminate on June 30, 2030.
(c) An independent third -party entity seeking to participate in the
pilot program as an independent verification organization shall submit
an application to the Department of Consumer Protection in a form and
manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection. Each
application shall include:
(1) A description of the risks against which the applicant independent
third-party entity intends to verify that artificial intelligence models
implement mitigation measures that are sufficient to achieve acceptable
levels of risk;
(2) For each risk described pursuant to subdivision (1) of this
subsection, (A) a proposed definition of the acceptable levels of risk, (B)
metrics that are measurable and can be used to determine whether the
acceptable levels of risk defined by the applic ant independent third -
party entity produce beneficial outcomes, (C) target levels for such
metrics, including, but not limited to, the data sources upon which such
target levels are based and methods for measurement, and (D) a
description of the evaluation and reporting protocol that will be used to
determine whether verified artificial intelligence models meet the
outcome metrics on an ongoing basis, including, but not limited to, a
description of how, where appropriate, the applicant independent
third-party entity's methodologies, metrics, benchmarks and
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verification processes align with relevant guidance, standards and
frameworks developed by federal and state authorities, such as the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, and international
organizations, such as the International Organization fo r
Standardization or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers;
(3) A detailed explanation of the applicant independent third -party
entity's evaluation and verification processes for such entity's
independent verification program, including, but not limited to, how
such entity determines whether a person participating in such program
is using industry best practices;
(4) The applicant independent third -party entity's (A) technical,
governance and audit methodologies for such entity's independent
verification program, (B) ongoing monitoring, reassessment and
remediation procedures for such program, including, but not limited to,
such entity's (i) corrective action procedures for such program, and (ii)
procedures for suspension, revocation or verification of good standing,
as applicable, (C) policies to ensure independence and transparency and
to avoid conflicts of interest, and (D) governance structure;
(5) The qualifications of the applicant independent third -party
entity's personnel who are involved in such entity's independent
verification program; and
(6) Any additional information the commissioner requires for the
purposes of this section.
(d) The Department of Consumer Protection shall approve not more
than five independent verification organizations to participate in the
pilot program. The department shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding with each independent verification organiza tion. Each
memorandum of understanding shall:
(1) Define the scope of such independent verification organization's
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independent verification program and the specific harms or risks to be
prevented or mitigated through such program;
(2) Establish (A) minimum verification and auditing standards for
persons seeking verification from such independent verification
organization's independent verification program for artificial
intelligence models, and (B) procedures for verification suspen sion or
revocation for persons participating in such program;
(3) Require such independent verification organization to share data
with, and submit an annual report to, the department, in a form and
manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection;
(4) Require each person participating in such independent
verification organization's independent verification program to
participate in such program in a manner that is transparent to the public;
and
(5) Require such independent verification organization to establish
procedures for reassessment and, if necessary, suspension of
verification when a person participating in such program makes a
material change to a verified artificial intelligence model, including, but
not limited to, a material change to the training data, deployment
context or intended use of the verified artificial intelligence model.
(e) (1) Evidence of verification or good standing provided by an
independent verification organization shall be admissible solely in a
civil action brought by a private party asserting claims for personal
injury or property damage caused by an artificial i ntelligence model,
and only to the extent such action relates to a specific harm or risk within
such verification's state -approved scope. Such evidence shall not be
admissible in any civil or administrative enforcement action brought by
the Attorney Genera l or any state agency, nor shall it give rise to any
presumption, inference or defense in any such action.
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(2) The provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not apply
to any person whose artificial intelligence model has been verified by an
independent verification organization's independent verification
program if such person:
(A) Acted in a wilful, wanton or reckless manner;
(B) Materially misrepresented information to the independent
verification organization; or
(C) Failed to implement any corrective action required by the
independent verification organization as part of such organization's
independent verification program.
(f) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may suspend or
revoke an independent verification organization's approval to
participate in the pilot program if the commissioner determines, in the
commissioner's discretion, that:
(1) Such independent verification organization's verification process
is ineffective or misleading, including, but not limited to, because such
organization has failed to verify against the metrics, target levels or
specific harms or risks within the scope of such organization's
independent verification program;
(2) Such independent verification organization has failed to adhere to
its memorandum of understanding with the Department of Consumer
Protection;
(3) Such independent verification organization is not an independent
third-party entity;
(4) An artificial intelligence model verified by such independent
verification organization's independent verification program has
caused the type of harm or risk that such program purported to prevent,
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mitigate or assess, and the occurrence of such harm or manifestation of
such risk reflects a material deficiency in such program's methodologies,
standards or verification processes; or
(5) Continued participation by such independent verification
organization in the pilot program would not be in the public interest.
(g) (1) Not later than December 31, 2028, the Department of
Consumer Protection shall, in consultation with the Institute for
Municipal and Regional Policy at The University of Connecticut,
evaluate the pilot program and recommend legislation based on such
evaluation, including, but not limited to, legislation to modify or extend
the pilot program. The evaluation shall:
(A) Be designed to assess the performance and impact of the pilot
program, including, but not limited to, the extent to which the pilot
program advanced its purposes as set forth in this section; and
(B) Include, but need not be limited to, (i) a landscape analysis of
legislation, laws and executive actions of other states that similarly seek
to recognize independent third -party entities to verify the safety of
artificial intelligence, and (ii) recomme nded legislation to establish
reciprocity between this state and other states, where appropriate and
advantageous.
(2) The Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at The University
of Connecticut shall develop appropriate evaluation criteria and
methodologies for the evaluation performed pursuant to subdivision (1)
of this subsection, which criteria and methodologi es may take into
account:
(A) The structure, requirements and implementation of the pilot
program;
(B) Whether the pilot program effectively met its goals, including, but
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not limited to, (i) its target harm mitigation or prevention levels, (ii) the
metrics for the pilot program, and (iii) the target levels for such metrics;
(C) The extent to which industry participated in the pilot program;
(D) The impact of the pilot program on innovation and economic
growth;
(E) The effectiveness of the verification standards for participation in
the pilot program; and
(F) Whether the pilot program should be continued, expanded,
modified or established as a permanent program, and, if such pilot
program should be continued or established as a permanent program,
(i) which state agency should administer such program, and (i i) what
information should be reported to such state agency to ensure that such
program is effective.
(h) Not later than January 31, 2029, the Institute for Municipal and
Regional Policy at The University of Connecticut shall submit a report
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to consumer protection , in accordance
with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Such report
shall include, but need not be limited to, the results of the evaluation
performed pursuant to subsection (g) of this section.
Sec. 34. Subsection (a) of section 10 -16b of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2026):
(a) In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall
include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally
qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education;
personal financial management and financial literacy; health and safety,
including, but not limited to, human growth and development,
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nutrition, first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in
accordance with the provisions of section 10 -16qq, disease prevention
and cancer awareness, including, but not limited to, age and
developmentally appropriate instruction in performi ng self -
examinations for the purposes of screening for breast cancer and
testicular cancer, community and consumer health, physical, mental
and emotional health, including youth suicide prevention, substance
abuse prevention, including instruction relating to opioid use and
related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe use of social
media, as defined in section 9-601, and may include the dangers of gang
membership, and accident prevention; language arts, including reading,
writing, grammar, speaki ng and spelling; mathematics; physical
education; science, which may include the climate change curriculum
described in subsection (d) of this section; social studies, including, but
not limited to, civics and media literacy, citizenship, economics,
geography, government, history and Holocaust and genocide education
and awareness in accordance with the provisions of section 10 -18f;
African-American and black studies in accordance with the provisions
of section 10-16ss; Puerto Rican and Latino studies in acc ordance with
the provisions of section 10 -16ss; Native American studies, in
accordance with the provisions of section 10-16vv; Asian American and
Pacific Islander studies, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-
66ww; computer science, including, b ut not limited to, computer
programming instruction , artificial intelligence and emerging
technologies; and in addition, on at least the secondary level, one or
more world languages; vocational education; and the black and Latino
studies course in accordance with the provisions of sections 10-16tt and
10-16uu. For purposes of this subsection, world languages shall include
American Sign Language, provided such subject matter is taught by a
qualified instructor under the supervision of a teacher who holds a
certificate issued by the State Board of Education. For purposes of this
subsection, the "arts" means any form of visual or performing arts,
which may include, but not be limited to, dance, music, art and theatre;
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and "reading" means evidence -based instruction that focuses on
competency in oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary, rapid automatic name or letter name fluency and reading
comprehension.
Sec. 35. (NEW) ( Effective from passage ) The Attorney General shall,
within available appropriations, partner with a nonprofit organization
to develop and administer a technology fellowship pilot program. As
part of such pilot program, the Attorney General shall, in consultation
with the nonpro fit organization, appoint a technology fellow. The
technology fellow shall assist the office of the Attorney General by (1)
assisting the office in its efforts to acquire technical knowledge
concerning artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data privacy, and (2)
offering relevant advice to the office in developing proposed legislation
and related materials to assist the office with its educational and
enforcement efforts. The pilot program shall terminate on June 30, 2029.
Sec. 36. Section 4 -67p of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2027):
(a) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall
designate an employee of the Office of Policy and Management to serve
as Chief Data Officer. The Chief Data Officer shall be responsible for (1)
directing executive branch agencies on the use and management of data
to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of state programs and
policies, (2) facilitating the sharing and use of executive branch agency
data (A) between executive branch agencies, and (B) with the public, (3)
coordinating data ana lytics and transparency master planning for
executive branch agencies, and (4) creating the state data plan in
accordance with subsection (c) of this section. The Chief Data Officer
shall carry out the responsibilities set forth in subdivisions (1) to (3),
inclusive, of this subsection in accordance with the state data plan
created pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
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(b) Each executive branch agency shall designate an employee of the
agency to serve as the agency data officer, who shall be responsible for
implementing the provisions of this section and who shall serve as the
main contact person for inquiries, requests or concerns regarding access
to the data of such agency. The agency data officer, in consultation with
the Chief Data Officer and the executive agency head, shall establish
procedures to ensure that requests for data that the agency receives are
complied with in an appropriate and prompt manner.
(c) Not later than December 31, 2018, and every two years thereafter,
the Chief Data Officer, in consultation with the agency data officers and
executive branch agency heads, shall create a state data plan. The state
data plan shall (1) establish management an d data analysis standards
across all executive branch agencies, (2) include specific, achievable
goals within the two years following adoption of such plan, as well as
longer term goals, (3) make recommendations to enhance
standardization and integration of data systems and data management
practices across all executive branch agencies, (4) provide a timeline for
a review of any state or federal legal concerns or other obstacles to the
internal sharing of data among agencies, including security and privacy
concerns, and (5) set goals for improving the online repository
established pursuant to subsection (i) of this section. Each state data
plan shall provide for a procedure for each agency head to report to the
Chief Data Officer regarding the agency's progress toward achieving the
plan's goals. Such plan may make recommendations concerning data
management for the legislative or judicial branch agencies, but such
recommendations shall not be binding on such agencies.
(d) The Chief Data Officer shall submit a preliminary draft of such
plan to the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board
established under section 2 -79e not later than November 1, 2018, and
every two years thereafter. Said board shall hold a public hearing on
such draft and shall submit any suggested revisions to the Chief Data
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Officer not later than thirty days after receipt of such draft.
(e) After the public hearing and if applicable, receiving any
recommended revisions from the board, the Chief Data Officer shall
finalize such plan and submit the final plan to the board. The Chief Data
Officer shall send a copy of the final state data plan to all agency data
officers and shall post such plan on the Internet web site of the Office of
Policy and Management.
(f) Information technology -related actions and initiatives of all
executive branch agencies, including, but not limited to, the acquisition
of hardware and software and the development of software, shall be
consistent with the final state data plan.
(g) On or before December 31, 2018, and not less than annually
thereafter, each executive branch agency shall conduct an inventory of
any high value data that is collected or possessed by the agency. Such
inventory shall be in a form prescribed by the Chief Da ta Officer. In
conducting such inventory, data shall be presumed to be public data
unless otherwise classified by federal or state law or regulation. On or
before December 31, 2018, and not less than annually thereafter, each
executive branch agency shall submit such inventory to the Chief Data
Officer and the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board.
(h) Each executive branch agency shall develop an open data access
plan. Such plan shall be in a form prescribed by the Office of Policy and
Management and shall detail the agency's plan to publish, as open data,
any public data that the agency has identified and any protected data
that can be made public through aggregation, redaction of individually
identifiable information or other means sufficient to satisfy applicable
state or federal law or regulation.
(i) The Office of Policy and Management shall operate and maintain
an online repository for the publication of open data by executive
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branch agencies.
(j) Not later than January 1, 2028, the Chief Data Officer, in
consultation with the agency data officers designated pursuant to
subsection (b) of this section, shall review the inventory of all high value
data collected or possessed by executive branch ag encies pursuant to
subsection (g) of this section to identify and publish any data that could
be useful for artificial intelligence systems, machine learning and other
statistical means of data analysis to create economic opportunity and
support state economic development goals, through private businesses,
nonprofit organizations and other entities that will use such data,
consistent with all applicable laws and regulations. The Chief Data
Officer and agency data officers shall:
(1) Identify appropriate data to make available for use by artificial
intelligence systems, machine learning and other statistical means of
data analysis;
(2) Develop policies and procedures for data quality and data
governance to ensure data are appropriate for the intended purpose and
do not lead to any unlawful discrimination or disparate impact, as
described in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of subs ection (c) of
section 51-10e;
(3) Determine any necessary aggregation, redaction of individually
identifiable information or application of other techniques required to
ensure and preserve privacy and to satisfy all applicable state or federal
laws and regulations for the public disclosure of data; and
(4) Determine the procedures through which agencies shall make any
such data available via publication on the online repository established
pursuant to subsection (i) of this section.
[(j)] (k) Any state agency that is not an executive branch agency and
any quasi-public agency or municipality may voluntarily opt to comply
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with the provisions of this section and, upon submission of written
notice of the agency's or municipality's decision to the Office of Policy
and Management, the provisions of this section shall apply to such
agency or municipality. Any state or quasi -public agency or any
municipality that voluntarily opts to comply with the provisions of this
section may opt out of complying with this section upon submission of
written notice of the agency's or municipality's decision to the Office of
Policy and Management . The Office of Policy and Management shall
create and maintain a list of all agencies subject to the provisions of this
section, including those agencies and municipalities that have
voluntarily opted to comply, and shall publish such list on the office's
Internet web site and update such list as necessary.
Sec. 37. Section 4a -2e of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence" means (A) an artificial system that (i)
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, (ii) 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 (iii) is designed to (I)
think or act like a h uman, 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, com munication,
decision-making or action, or (B) a set of techniques, including, but not
limited to, machine learning, that is designed to approximate a cognitive
task; and
(2) "State agency" has the same meaning as provided in section 4d-1.
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(b) (1) Not later than December 31, [2023] 2026, and annually
thereafter, the Department of Administrative Services 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 , to the extent practicable
based on available data:
(A) The name of such system and the vendor, if any, that provided
such system;
(B) A description of the general capabilities and uses of such system;
(C) Whether such system was used to independently make, inform or
materially support a conclusion, decision or judgment; [and]
(D) Whether such system underwent an impact assessment prior to
implementation;
(E) The date of the last impact assessment;
(F) Whether such system has access to personally identifiable
information of individuals in the state; and
(G) The known risks of such system toward individuals in the state,
communities and state employees.
(2) The Department of Administrative Services shall make each
inventory conducted pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection
publicly available on the state's open data portal.
(3) The Department of Administrative Services shall establish
definitions, reporting standards and submission formats for state
agencies to use in their submissions.
(c) Beginning on February 1, 2024, the Department of Administrative
Services shall perform ongoing assessments of systems that employ
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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 subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of subsection
(b) of section 4 -68jj. The department shal l perform such assessment in
accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Office of
Policy and Management pursuant to subsection (b) of section 4-68jj.
Sec. 38. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Artificial intelligence technology" (A) means a computer system,
application or other product that uses or incorporates one or more forms
of artificial intelligence, and (B) does not include any cybersecurity tool,
data analytics tool or system where artificial intelligence is incidental
and not determinative; and
(2) "State agency" has the same meaning as provided in section 1 -79
of the general statutes.
(b) (1) No state agency, or any entity acting on behalf of a state
agency, shall, directly or indirectly, utilize or apply any artificial
intelligence technology in performing any function that (A) is related to
the delivery of any public assistance benefi t to individuals in the state
by such agency, or (B) will have a material impact on the rights, civil
liberties, safety or welfare of individuals in the state, unless such
utilization or application is in compliance with policies and standards
established by the Office of Policy and Management and the
Department of Administrative Services.
(2) No state agency shall authorize any procurement, purchase or
acquisition of any artificial intelligence technology, except where the use
of such system is in compliance with policies and standards established
by the Office of Policy and Management and the Department of
Administrative Services.
(3) If a state agency is authorized to procure, purchase or acquire an
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artificial intelligence technology, the state agency shall complete an
artificial intelligence impact assessment in compliance with policies and
standards established by the Office of Policy and Management and the
Department of Administrative Services.
(c) Any artificial intelligence impact assessment completed pursuant
to subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section shall be submitted to
the Commissioner of Administrative Services, in a form and manner
prescribed by the commissioner, and posted on the agency's Internet
web site not later than sixty days prior to deployment of such artificial
intelligence technology. Any agency may redact any data in such impact
statement to remove personally identifiable information of any
individual.
Sec. 39. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2028) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Covered minor" means any covered user who is younger than
eighteen years of age;
(2) "Covered operator" (A) means any operator who operates or
provides a covered platform, and (B) does not include the federal
government, any state or municipal government or any agency or
instrumentality of the federal government or of any state or muni cipal
government;
(3) "Covered platform" (A) means any platform that, as a significant
part of the services offered, recommends, selects or prioritizes for
display, either concurrently or sequentially, media items generated or
shared on a platform by users of such platform, and (B) does not include
any platform that (i) primarily facilitates the sale of goods, or (ii) is used
solely for educational purposes pursuant to a contract required under
section 10-234bb of the general statutes;
(4) "Covered user" means any user of a covered platform in this state
who is not acting as the covered operator, or as an agent or affiliate of
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the covered operator, of the covered platform;
(5) "Media item" means any text, image or video;
(6) "Operator" means any individual, corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership,
association, joint stock company, unincorporated organization or other
legal entity that operates or provides a platform;
(7) "Platform" means any Internet web site, online service, online
application, mobile application or social media platform, or any portion
thereof; and
(8) "Sensitive content" means any content that the covered operator
of a covered platform deems to be in violation of the community
standards, or any similar guidelines or standards, such covered operator
has established for the covered platform.
(b) (1) No covered operator of a covered platform shall allow a
covered user to access any portion of the covered platform that
recommends, selects or prioritizes for display, either concurrently or
sequentially, media items generated or shared by users of such covered
platform if such recommendation, selection or prioritization is based, in
whole or in part, on any information associated with the covered user
or such covered user's device, unless:
(A) (i) The covered operator has used commercially reasonable and
technically feasible methods to determine that the covered user is not a
covered minor; or
(ii) If the covered user is a covered minor, the covered operator has
obtained verifiable consent from the covered minor's parent or legal
guardian to recommend, select or prioritize media items for such
covered minor in the manner set forth in this subdivision;
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(B) The recommendation, selection or prioritization (i) is based on
information that is not persistently associated with the covered user or
the covered user's device, and (ii) does not concern the covered user's
previous interactions with media items gene rated or shared by other
users of such covered platform;
(C) The recommendation, selection or prioritization is based on (i)
privacy or accessibility settings selected by the covered user, or (ii)
technical information concerning the covered user's device;
(D) The covered user has expressly and unambiguously requested
the display, blocking, prioritization or deprioritization of any specific
media item, media items from a specific author, creator or poster to
whom, or source to which, the covered user has sub scribed or media
items shared by users to a specific page or group to which the covered
user has subscribed;
(E) The recommended, selected or prioritized media item is a direct
and private communication;
(F) The media item is recommended, selected or prioritized solely in
response to a specific search inquiry made by the covered user;
(G) The media item is recommended, selected or prioritized for
display solely because the media item (i) immediately follows any other
media item in a preexisting sequence, and (ii) is from the same author,
creator, poster or source; or
(H) The recommendation, selection or prioritization is necessary to
comply with any other provision of this section.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, a
covered operator that has used commercially reasonable and technically
feasible methods to determine a covered user's age and is unable to
determine whether the covered user is a covered minor shall presume
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that such covered user is not a covered minor for the purposes of this
subsection.
(B) A covered operator shall treat a covered user as a covered minor
if the covered operator obtains actual knowledge that the covered user
is a covered minor.
(3) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision:
(i) No information that is collected for the purpose of determining a
covered user's age under this subsection shall be used for any other
purpose, and such information shall be deleted immediately after an
attempt is made to determine the covered user's age; and
(ii) No information that is collected for the purpose of obtaining
verifiable consent from a covered minor's parent or legal guardian shall
be used for any other purpose, and such information shall be deleted
immediately after an attempt is made to obtain such verifiable consent.
(B) Any information that is collected for any purpose set forth in
subparagraph (A) of this subdivision may be used or retained if such
use or retention is necessary to comply with any federal law or
regulation or any other law or regulation of this state.
(4) No covered operator shall withhold or degrade, or reduce the
quality or increase the price of, any product, service or feature due to
the prohibition against recommending, selecting or prioritizing media
items in the manner set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection, unless
such withholding, degradation, reduction or increase is necessary for
such covered operator to comply with the provisions of this subsection.
(5) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit any
covered operator from taking any action to restrict access to, or the
availability of, any media item that such covered operator in good faith
considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filt hy, excessively violent,
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harassing or otherwise objectionable, regardless of whether such media
item is protected under the Constitution of the state or the Constitution
of the United States.
(c) (1) (A) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the
covered operator of a covered platform shall ensure that the covered
platform displays a clear and conspicuous warning, in black lettering
appearing against a white background and en closed by a black border,
that reads:
"The Surgeon General has warned that while social media may have
benefits for some young users, social media is associated with
significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young
users."
(B) The covered operator of a covered platform shall ensure that, with
respect to each day on which a covered user uses the covered platform,
the warning required under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision is
displayed to the covered user (i) when such cov ered user first accesses
such covered platform on such day, in which case such warning shall (I)
occupy at least seventy-five per cent of the screen or window by which
such covered user accesses such covered platform on such day, and (II)
be displayed continuously for a period of at least thirty seconds without
allowing such covered user to dismiss such warning or shorten such
period, and (ii) immediately after such covered user has used such
covered platform for three continuous or noncontinuous hours duri ng
such day, and immediately after each additional continuous or
noncontinuous hour of use during such day, in which case such warning
shall (I) occupy at least twenty-five per cent of the screen or window by
which such covered user has accessed such cover ed platform during
such day, and (II) be displayed continuously for a period of at least ten
seconds unless the covered user affirmatively dismisses such warning
by clicking on a conspicuous "X" icon.
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(2) No covered operator shall be required to display the warning
required under subdivision (1) of this subsection to any covered user
whom the covered operator has reasonably determined is not a covered
minor.
(d) (1) No covered operator shall send any notification to a covered
minor concerning any recommendation, selection or prioritization
made in the manner set forth in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this
section, unless:
(A) Such notification is sent to the covered minor during the hours
between eight o'clock a.m. and nine o'clock p.m. eastern time; or
(B) The covered operator has obtained verifiable consent from the
covered minor's parent or legal guardian to send notifications to such
covered minor outside of the time frame set forth in subparagraph (A)
of this subdivision.
(2) Each covered operator shall:
(A) As a default setting for such covered operator's covered platform
and unless otherwise required by a covered minor's verified parent or
legal guardian pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, (i)
prevent the covered minor from accessing or rec eiving any notification
described in subdivision (1) of this subsection outside of the time frame
set forth in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, (ii)
limit the covered minor's access to any portion of such covered
operator's covered p latform that recommends, selects or prioritizes
media items in the manner set forth in subdivision (1) of subsection (b)
of this section to a maximum period of one hour per day, (iii) set the
covered minor's covered platform account to a mode that does not allow
users, other than users to whom such covered minor is connected, to
view or respond to content posted by, or chat or exchange messages
with, such covered minor, and (iv) prevent the covered minor from
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accessing, viewing or receiving sensitive content; and
(B) Establish and maintain a mechanism by which a covered minor's
verified parent or legal guardian may require such covered operator to
(i) prevent the covered minor from accessing or receiving any
notification described in subdivision (1) of this subsect ion outside of a
time frame specified by such parent or legal guardian, (ii) limit the
covered minor's access to any portion of such covered operator's
covered platform that recommends, selects or prioritizes media items in
the manner set forth in subdivis ion (1) of subsection (b) of this section
to a maximum daily period specified by such parent or legal guardian,
or (iii) set the covered minor's covered platform account to a mode that
does not allow users, other than users to whom such covered minor is
connected, to view or respond to content posted by, or chat or exchange
messages with, such covered minor.
(e) Not later than March 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, each
covered operator shall publicly disclose, in a form and manner
prescribed by the Attorney General, the following information for the
preceding calendar year:
(1) The total number of covered users who used the covered
operator's covered platform during such year;
(2) The portion of the total number of covered users described in
subdivision (1) of this subsection for whom the covered operator
obtained verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian under
subparagraph (A)(ii) of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section;
(3) The portion of the total number of covered users described in
subdivision (1) of this subsection for whom the default settings set forth
in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of this section
were enabled, and the portion of such total number of covered users for
whom such default settings were not enabled; and
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Public Act No. 26-15 74 of 74
(4) The average amount of time per day that covered users used the
covered operator's covered platform, broken down by user age and
hour of day.
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to (1) require a covered
operator to provide a covered minor's parent or legal guardian with
access to, or control over, the covered minor's covered platform account
or any data associated therewith, unless pr ovision of such access or
control is specifically required by this section, or (2) impose liability for
any commercial activity or action by a covered operator subject to 15
USC 6501, as amended from time to time, that is inconsistent with the
manner in which such commercial activity or action is treated under 15
USC 6502, as amended from time to time.
(g) A violation of any provision of subsections (b) to (e), inclusive, of
this section shall be deemed an unfair or deceptive trade practice under
subsection (a) of section 42-110b of the general statutes.