New Mexico AI Laws: What's Enacted and What's Next (2027)

As of November 2026, New Mexico has no comprehensive AI statute that we found. The enacted laws we found that address AI directly are HB 182 (2024, ch. 57), which requires disclaimers on materially deceptive AI media in elections and campaign ads, and part of HB 178 (2025, ch. 101), which tells the Board of Nursing to set standards for AI in nursing.

How we searched: Where this page says we found no law, we mean bill status pages on nmlegis.gov for the bills named here, a text search of our stored copy of the New Mexico statutes captured July 30, 2026 for "artificial intelligence", "automated decision", "algorithm", "machine learning", "chatbot" and "synthetic media", the NAIC's list of state insurance bulletins, and web searches. We did not run a full-text search of the 2025 and 2026 session laws, so a provision outside that copy would not appear here.

This page covers New Mexico state law as of November 4, 2026. It is general legal information, not legal advice. For the national picture, see our guide to US AI laws.

New Mexico AI Laws at a Glance

HB 182: New Mexico's Election Deepfake Law

HB 182 amended the Campaign Reporting Act. NMSA 1-19-26 defines "materially deceptive media" as an image, video or audio that depicts an individual in conduct or speech in which the individual did not engage, was made public without that individual's consent, and "was produced in whole or in part by using artificial intelligence."

The prohibition (NMSA 1-19-26.8). A person violates the section by distributing such media, or agreeing with another to distribute it, if all three of these are true:

• The person knows the media falsely represents the depicted individual.
• The distribution occurs within ninety days before an election.
• The person intends to alter electors' voting behavior by misleading them, and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result.

The disclaimer exception. The prohibition does not apply if the media carries a clear and conspicuous disclaimer, in every language used, reading "This ____ has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence", with image, video or audio in the blank. Video must show it for the duration. Audio must state it at the start and end, and at intervals of no more than two minutes if longer than two minutes.

Penalties and enforcement. A person who willfully and knowingly violates the prohibition is guilty of a misdemeanor on a first conviction and a fourth degree felony on a second. Enforcement, including injunctive relief, may be sought by the attorney general, a district attorney, a depicted individual falsely represented, an injured candidate, or an organization representing voters likely to be misled.

Campaign advertisements (NMSA 1-19-26.4). A person who creates, produces or purchases an advertisement containing materially deceptive media must include the same disclaimer. Each failure is a separate violation subject to civil penalties under NMSA 1-19-34.6. The section lists exceptions for bona fide news coverage by stations and streaming services that acknowledge the AI content, for paid broadcasts and distribution platforms that show they have and pass on disclaimer requirements, and for satire or parody that carries the disclaimer.

Attorney General's opinion. The annotations to the compiled statutes summarize 2025 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 25-09 as finding that the AI definition does not appear facially vague, and that the disclaimer requirement in 1-19-26.8(B) is not impermissibly overbroad on its face.

The annotations to 1-19-26.4 summarize the opinion as finding that the disclaimer requirement for an advertisement that reasonably constitutes satire or parody is likely unconstitutional on its face. The 1-19-26.8 annotations also summarize it as reading subsection E to let private parties seek injunctive relief, not civil or criminal penalties for the state.

We read those annotations, not the opinion itself. An attorney general's opinion is not a court ruling.

Our guide to New Mexico deepfake laws covers intimate images and other deepfake issues.

HB 178: AI in New Mexico Nursing

HB 178 (2025), titled Nursing Practice Changes, was signed April 8, 2025 as Chapter 101. It is mostly a nursing scope and licensing bill, and AI is one small part.

NMSA 61-3-10(Y) says the board "shall promulgate rules establishing standards for the use of artificial intelligence in nursing." NMSA 61-3-3 defines AI as "a broad category of existing, emerging and future digital technologies that involves using algorithms to drive the behavior of agents such as software programs, machines and robotics."

We read every part of 16.12 NMAC we could locate, 16.12.1 through 16.12.14 and 16.12.20, on November 4, 2026, and the phrase "artificial intelligence" did not appear. The published text may lag a board's action.

Health Licensing Boards and AI

Medical Board. The New Mexico Medical Board's policy, issued November 8, 2024 and revised August 21, 2025, addresses physicians and physician assistants it licenses and says they "must remain responsible stewards of patient care." It is a board policy, not a statute.

Counseling and Therapy Practice Board. A June 10, 2025 Register notice proposed adding language "for guidance regarding ethical use of AI in Counseling and Therapy Practice", with a hearing on July 11, 2025. We did not find an adoption notice, and the 16.27.18 NMAC text read on November 4, 2026, showed no AI provision. The published text may lag.

Insurers. The NAIC's status list, dated November 3, 2026, does not show New Mexico among the adopters of its model bulletin on insurers' use of AI, and a web search found no New Mexico bulletin on the topic.

New Mexico AI Bills That Died

Each of these shows as Died on nmlegis.gov, with action postponed indefinitely. None is law.

What We Did Not Find in New Mexico Law

In the search described above, we found no New Mexico statute specifically on AI in hiring, companion chatbots, frontier models or automated consumer decisions. That is a statement about one search, not a statement that no such provision exists.

The stored statutes also mention AI in economic development law, including Laws 2025, ch. 133, which lists advanced computing, "which includes artificial intelligence", as a target sector. That is funding policy, not a rule on AI use. We found no governor's executive order on AI in web searches.

AI Note-Takers and Recording in New Mexico

AI meeting assistants raise recording consent questions. Our guide to New Mexico AI meeting recording laws covers them.

Federal Law and New Mexico's AI Laws

As of November 4, 2026, we found no federal statute in the public laws of the 119th Congress that sets general rules for private AI systems or generally preempts state AI laws. In December 2025, Executive Order 14365 directed federal agencies to challenge or discourage state AI laws the administration views as conflicting with national policy, and called for a federal framework from Congress. The order itself does not declare any state law invalid. See our pages on the AI executive orders and state AI law preemption.

What Changes in New Mexico AI Law in 2027

As of November 4, 2026, we found no AI law scheduled to take effect in New Mexico in 2027; we searched nmlegis.gov status pages for the bills named here and our stored copy of the statutes for the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

• Frontier AI proposal. News reports from Source NM and the Albuquerque Journal say Attorney General Raul Torrez and Rep. Linda Serrato announced on October 1, 2026 that they will pursue a frontier AI bill, named in reports as the Frontier Artificial Intelligence Safety and Accountability Act, in the 60-day 2027 session. We found no bill number or official text. It is a proposal, not a law.
• Nursing rules. NMSA 61-3-10(Y) requires the Board of Nursing to adopt AI standards. It states no deadline, and we found no adopted rule in published 16.12 NMAC.

More New Mexico Laws

Explore other New Mexico law topics on Recording Law:

• New Mexico Recording Laws
• New Mexico Data Privacy Laws
• New Mexico Whistleblower Laws
• New Mexico Background Check Laws
• New Mexico Sexting Laws
• New Mexico Deepfake Laws
• New Mexico AI Meeting Recording Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Does New Mexico have an AI law?

New Mexico has targeted AI provisions, not a comprehensive AI statute that we found. HB 182 (2024) covers materially deceptive AI media in elections and campaign ads, and HB 178 (2025) requires the Board of Nursing to set standards for AI in nursing.

Are AI election deepfakes illegal in New Mexico?

NMSA 1-19-26.8 bars knowingly distributing materially deceptive media that falsely represents a depicted individual within ninety days before an election, with intent to mislead electors in a way reasonably likely to alter their voting behavior, unless it carries the required disclaimer. A willful and knowing violation is a misdemeanor on a first conviction and a fourth degree felony on a second.

What does New Mexico's AI disclaimer have to say?

The disclaimer reads 'This ____ has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence', with image, video or audio in the blank. It must be clear and conspicuous and appear in every language used in the media.

When did New Mexico's HB 182 take effect?

The compiled statutes' note says Laws 2024, ch. 57 was effective May 15, 2024, 90 days after the legislature adjourned.

Can New Mexico employers use AI in hiring?

We found no New Mexico statute specifically on AI in hiring. HB 60 (2025), which addressed broader AI uses, died. Our search covered the stored statutes and named bills, not every session law.

Will New Mexico pass an AI law in 2027?

We cannot predict that. News reports say Attorney General Torrez and Rep. Serrato plan a frontier AI bill for the 2027 session. As of November 4, 2026, we found no bill number, and every broader AI bill we checked from 2024 through 2026 died.