Texas: AI Governance Act Duties and Enforcement

A signed act with defined obligations

Texas enacted the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act in June 2025, with an effective date of January 1, 2026. The statute defines its scope and prohibited conduct, rather than assigning every AI application the same risk classification or compliance process. [1][2]

The actor and intent requirements matter

The law addresses specified uses including intentional encouragement of harm, governmental social scoring and intentional unlawful discrimination. Its discrimination provision states that disparate impact alone is insufficient to demonstrate intent. Disclosure provisions concern government interactions with consumers and specified health-care uses, so they should not be described as a universal chatbot-labeling requirement for every private business. [2]

The attorney general has enforcement authority under the act, with a defined complaint and penalty process. The statute also establishes governance and regulatory-development provisions. These are legal requirements and processes, not evidence that Texas has independently validated the safety of a particular AI model. [2]