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

As of November 2026, Pennsylvania has enacted targeted AI laws but, in our search, no comprehensive AI act. The three stand-alone acts we found are Act 125 of 2024 (SB 1213) on AI-generated sexual images, the Digital Forgery Law, Act 35 of 2025 (SB 649, 18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1), and the AI Deceptive Advertising Act, Act 99 of 2026 (SB 806), which is signed but not yet in force. Larger acts also carry narrower AI provisions.

Status as of November 4, 2026: Act 125 and Act 35 are in force. Act 99 takes effect around December 21, 2026. The chatbot bills that have passed a chamber (SB 1090, the SAFECHAT Act, and HB 2006, the AI Companion Safety Act) and the health care bill (HB 1925) have each passed one chamber only, so none of them is law. The 2025-26 session ends November 30, 2026.

How we searched: Where this page says we found no law, we mean a review of the palegis.us bill pages for the bills named here, web searches, the General Assembly's lists of acts for 2023 through 2026 (through Act 117 of 2026), and a text search of the act PDFs posted there. Text was not posted for Acts 61-68 and 76-117 of 2026, so we checked those by title only. We did not search acts from before 2023. Omnibus acts can carry AI provisions under unrelated titles.

This page covers Pennsylvania 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.

Pennsylvania AI Laws at a Glance

Act 99 of 2026 (SB 806): The AI Deceptive Advertising Act

Governor Josh Shapiro approved SB 806 on October 22, 2026, and it became Act 99 of 2026. Senate final passage was 48-2 on June 10, 2026, and House final passage was 163-40 on October 7, 2026.

Section 6 of the act says it "shall take effect in 60 days." It prints no calendar date. Counting from approval under 1 Pa.C.S. 1908, which excludes the first day, includes the last and omits a last day that falls on a weekend or legal holiday, gives December 21, 2026, a Monday.

What Act 99 Requires

Section 4(a) sets the core rule:

An advertiser may not knowingly, recklessly or willfully create and disseminate or cause to be created and disseminated an advertisement that uses synthetic content in a manner that creates a false consumer perception about the nature, origin or authenticity of the goods or services being advertised, without clear and conspicuous disclosure.

So the duty has limits built in. It needs a knowing, reckless or willful advertiser, an ad using synthetic content, and a false consumer perception about the goods or services. An ad that uses AI imagery without creating that false perception falls outside this sentence.

"Synthetic content" means "information, including an image, video, audio clip or text, that has been significantly modified or generated by artificial intelligence." The act does not define "advertiser."

What the Disclosure Must Say

The disclosure must state that the advertisement contains content modified or generated using artificial intelligence. It must also be:

• Displayed in the first instance whenever the synthetic content is presented to the consumer
• Presented in the same medium as the synthetic content
• To the extent technically feasible, permanent or extraordinarily difficult to remove from the synthetic content

"Clear and conspicuous" has its own six-part definition in Section 3. It covers noticeability, consistency with surrounding information, proximity, audio volume and cadence, on-screen size and duration, and type size in print. The disclosure must also be in the language or other interaction the consumer used with the synthetic content.

Exceptions

Section 4(b) excepts content that is evidently fictional based on the content or context of the depiction, content that is parody, satire, commentary or criticism, and content "limited to text." That last exception leaves text-only ad copy outside the duty, even though the definition of synthetic content mentions text.

Who Enforces Act 99

Section 5 lets the Attorney General or the appropriate district attorney seek a temporary or permanent injunction and bring a civil action. A court may award "a civil fine that does not exceed $3,000" and actual attorney fees and court costs. The act does not say how violations are counted.

Section 5 names only the Attorney General and district attorneys, and the act gives consumers no express right to sue. Section 5(c), headed "Damages," says a court may award damages for a violation, lists the civil fine and fees, and does not say who may seek them. The act is not yet in force.

Section 4(c) adds that a disclosure "shall not be construed to limit any recourse under law," so a disclosure does not by itself end other legal exposure.

Deepfakes and AI Sexual Images: Act 35 and Act 125

Act 35 of 2025 created digital forgery, 18 Pa.C.S. 4101.1. A person commits the offense by generating or creating and distributing a forged digital likeness as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure anyone or with knowledge and intent of facilitating a fraud or injury by anyone, when the person knows or reasonably should know it is forged. It is a first-degree misdemeanor, and a third-degree felony when committed through involvement in a scheme to defraud, coerce or commit theft of monetary assets or property.

Act 125 of 2024 extended 18 Pa.C.S. 3131 and 6312 to artificially generated material. Disseminating an artificially generated sexual depiction with intent to harass, annoy or alarm is a first-degree misdemeanor when the person depicted is a minor and a second-degree misdemeanor otherwise.

Schools have a narrower rule. Act 20 of 2026 defined cyberbullying in the Public School Code to include "artificial intelligence-generated or modified media," and school reports must now count cyberbullying incidents suspected to involve that media.

In the review described at the top of this page, we found no enacted Pennsylvania statute aimed at election deepfakes. HB 811 would let a candidate sue over an undisclosed deepfake in a campaign ad within 90 days before an election. It passed the House 203-0 on June 23, 2025, and has been in Senate Communications and Technology since June 24, 2025. Two AI image bills have also passed one chamber only: SB 1368 would bar nudification applications from online application marketplaces (Senate 49-0, September 28, 2026), and HB 2252 would amend the sections Act 125 changed (House 202-0, June 10, 2026). Neither is law.

Elements, defenses and victim options are on our Pennsylvania deepfake laws page.

AI Chatbots: SAFECHAT Act (SB 1090) and HB 2006

In the same review, we found no enacted Pennsylvania chatbot law. Two AI companion bills have passed a chamber, each only the chamber where it started. Other chatbot bills, including HB 2215 and HB 2175, have not passed either chamber.

Those terms come from the current printings, PN 1423 and PN 3747.

Character.AI Lawsuit Under the Medical Practice Act

Without an enacted chatbot statute that we found, the state has still acted under older law. On May 1, 2026, the Department of State, State Board of Medicine, filed a petition in Commonwealth Court against Character Technologies, Inc., No. 220 MD 2026, under the Medical Practice Act, 63 P.S. 422.38.

The petition alleges that a character called "Emilie," described as a doctor of psychiatry, told a state investigator it was licensed in Pennsylvania and gave a license number that is not valid. It asks that the company be ordered to stop the unlawful practice of medicine, and the governor's office said on May 5, 2026 that the state was seeking a preliminary injunction.

These are the petition's allegations. As of November 4, 2026, we found no reported ruling in the governor's releases or news coverage; we did not review the court docket.

The suit followed the Department of State's 12-member AI Enforcement Task Force, announced in February 2026 to look at AI companion bots and unlicensed practice under existing law. The department also set up a complaint process for bots that may be practicing a licensed profession. The task force is an administrative step, not a statute.

AI in Health Care and Insurance: HB 1925 Is Not Yet Law

HB 1925, from Rep. Arvind Venkat, passed the House 144-59 on September 30, 2026. It was referred to the Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation committee on October 14, 2026.

The current text, PN 3963, covers facilities, insurers and MA or CHIP managed care plans. It would:

• Require facilities to disclose to patients, in plain language, when AI models or systems are or will be used for clinical decision making
• Provide that AI "must not supersede clinical decision making made by a human health care provider"
• Require insurers to disclose to participating network providers and covered persons, in plain language, when AI models or systems are or will be used in utilization review
• Allow a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation for a knowing or willful violation at a facility, with lower amounts for negligent violations

The bill exempts validated, static decision-support tools and tools used for administration, scheduling, scribe applications or clinical calculators from the facility chapter. It would take effect one year after enactment.

Insurers already have regulator guidance. Insurance Department Notice 2024-04, 54 Pa.B. 1910, tells insurers that decisions made or supported by AI systems "must comply with all applicable insurance laws and regulations." It is a notice applying existing insurance law, not a new AI statute.

State Government AI: EO 2023-19 and the Commonwealth AI Policy

Executive Order 2023-19, dated September 20, 2023, created the Generative AI Governing Board and charged it with recommending guidance to the Office of Administration on how agencies design, procure and deploy generative AI. The order says it remains in effect until amended or rescinded. Web searches showed no rescission, and we did not confirm its status on an official list of orders.

The Commonwealth AI Policy took effect January 13, 2026, replacing the version dated August 27, 2025. It applies to offices, departments, boards, commissions and councils under the Governor's jurisdiction, and to other entities connecting to the Commonwealth Network.

The policy says generative AI outputs "are not to be used to make decisions for or on behalf of employees," and gives the example: "do not use generative AI to make final decisions that affect employment." It requires a human verification process for AI decisions with legal, financial, human resource, legislative, organizational or regulatory impact. These rules bind the covered government entities, not private businesses.

A statute also reaches agency proceedings. Section 1755-E of the Fiscal Code, added by Act 45 of 2025, bars using money appropriated for stenography services on a transcript of an executive-branch agency proceeding that is created solely and exclusively by AI without a human stenographer present, in person or virtually.

Joint State Government Commission Report

The Joint State Government Commission published a 389-page AI report in January 2026 under House Resolution 170. Its advisory committee recommended a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer role and a requirement that any AI statute be reviewed three to five years after taking effect. These are recommendations, not law.

Data Centers: EO 2026-05 and SB 939

Executive Order 2026-05, signed August 18, 2026, directs the Department of Environmental Protection to give data center projects over 25 MW rolling review if the applicant signs a Consent Order and Agreement to follow the GRID Requirements, and slower review if not. It also removes data center projects from the PA Permit Fast Track Program. It regulates data center development, not AI systems.

SB 939, from Sen. Greg Rothman, would create an Office of Transformation and Opportunity and an AI, data center and emerging technology regulatory sandbox. A Senate committee amended it 10-0 on February 4, 2026, its last action.

AI in Hiring and Employment in Pennsylvania

In the review described at the top of this page, we found no Pennsylvania statute aimed at AI in hiring or employment. The final-decisions line above comes from the Commonwealth AI Policy, which covers state government use, not private employers.

AI Note-Takers and Recording Consent

Pennsylvania's wiretap law permits interception "where all parties to the communication have given prior consent" (18 Pa.C.S. 5704(4)), so an AI note-taker on a call raises an all-party consent question. See our guide to Pennsylvania AI meeting recording laws.

Federal AI Policy and Pennsylvania

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.

We cover the details on our pages on Trump's AI executive orders and state AI law preemption.

What Changes in Pennsylvania AI Law in 2027

As of November 4, 2026, these are the dates and open items we found:

• November 30, 2026: session ends. Members' terms begin December 1 after each election, and the General Assembly is a continuing body only during that term. SB 1090, HB 2006, HB 1925, HB 811 and SB 939 end with the session if they have not passed both chambers by then, and would need new bills in 2027-28. A bill that has passed both chambers can still reach the Governor, whose time to act can run past that date.
• Around December 21, 2026: Act 99 takes effect. The date is computed from "in 60 days" after the October 22, 2026 approval.
• January 2027: Commonwealth AI Policy review. The policy lists January 2027 as its scheduled review date. Changes, if any, would apply to government use.
• January 2027: new session. The General Assembly meets on the first Tuesday of January. Any chatbot or health care AI bill in the new session would have to start as a new bill.
• No date found: Character.AI petition, No. 220 MD 2026 in Commonwealth Court. We found no reported ruling in the sources above and did not review the court docket.

If one of the pending bills became law, its clock would run from enactment: 120 days for SB 1090, 180 days for HB 2006 and one year for HB 1925. Whether any of them will pass is unknown, and we do not forecast it.

Other than Act 99 in December 2026, we found no Pennsylvania AI law scheduled to take effect in 2027. The scope of that search is the review described at the top of this page.

More Pennsylvania Laws

Explore other Pennsylvania law topics on Recording Law:

• Pennsylvania Recording Laws
• Pennsylvania Data Privacy Laws
• Pennsylvania Biometric Privacy Laws
• Pennsylvania Whistleblower Laws
• Pennsylvania Sexting Laws
• Pennsylvania Background Check Laws
• Pennsylvania Surveillance Camera Laws
• Pennsylvania Deepfake Laws
• Pennsylvania AI Meeting Recording Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pennsylvania have an AI law?

Yes, targeted ones. As of November 2026, the stand-alone acts we found are Act 125 of 2024 on AI-generated sexual images, Act 35 of 2025 on digital forgery, and Act 99 of 2026 on deceptive AI advertising, which takes effect around December 21, 2026. Larger acts add narrower AI provisions, such as Fiscal Code section 1755-E on AI-only transcripts. We found no comprehensive AI act in our review of the acts of 2023 through 2026.

Does Pennsylvania require AI ads to be labeled?

Only in part. From around December 21, 2026, Act 99 requires a clear and conspicuous disclosure when synthetic content in an ad creates a false consumer perception about the goods or services. It is not a general label rule, and text-only content, evident fiction, parody, satire, commentary and criticism are excepted.

When does Pennsylvania's AI Deceptive Advertising Act take effect?

Act 99 was approved October 22, 2026 and says it takes effect in 60 days. The act prints no calendar date; the count gives December 21, 2026.

What is the penalty under Pennsylvania's AI advertising law?

A court may award a civil fine of up to $3,000 plus actual attorney fees and court costs. The Attorney General or the appropriate district attorney brings the case and may also seek an injunction.

Is the SAFECHAT Act law in Pennsylvania?

No. SB 1090 passed the Senate 49-1 on March 17, 2026 and was referred to a House committee on March 18, 2026, its last action as of November 4, 2026. Its current text caps the civil penalty at $10,000 per violation.

What is HB 2006 in Pennsylvania?

HB 2006 is the AI Companion Safety Act. It passed the House 133-70 on September 28, 2026 and is in a Senate committee, so it is not law. It would require age assurance before access, verifiable parental consent for minors and protocols for self-harm, with Attorney General enforcement and a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per day for each violation.

Are AI deepfakes illegal in Pennsylvania?

Some are. Act 35 makes it a crime to generate or create and distribute a forged digital likeness as genuine, with intent to defraud or injure or with knowledge and intent of facilitating a fraud or injury, when the person knows or reasonably should know it is forged. Act 125 reaches disseminating an artificially generated sexual depiction with intent to harass, annoy or alarm, and artificially generated child sexual abuse material.

Does Pennsylvania regulate AI in health insurance?

We found no enacted statute on it in our review of the acts of 2023 through 2026. HB 1925 would require insurers to disclose AI use in utilization review, but it has passed only the House. Insurance Department Notice 2024-04 says insurers' AI-supported decisions must comply with existing insurance laws.

Does Pennsylvania have a law on AI in hiring?

We found no Pennsylvania statute aimed at AI in hiring in our review of the acts of 2023 through 2026. The Commonwealth AI Policy says not to use generative AI for final decisions affecting employment, but that policy covers state government use, not private employers.

Did Pennsylvania sue Character.AI?

Yes. On May 1, 2026, the Department of State, State Board of Medicine, filed a petition in Commonwealth Court against Character Technologies under the Medical Practice Act, alleging a chatbot claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist. As of November 4, 2026, we found no reported ruling, and we did not review the court docket.

How does Pennsylvania regulate AI in state government?

Mainly through the Commonwealth AI Policy effective January 13, 2026, and Executive Order 2023-19 of 2023, which created the Generative AI Governing Board. Both are executive-branch measures. We found no rescission of the order in web searches but did not confirm its status on an official list of orders. One statute also applies: Fiscal Code section 1755-E restricts spending on AI-only stenographic transcripts of agency proceedings.

What happens to Pennsylvania AI bills after November 30, 2026?

The 2025-26 session ends November 30, 2026. Bills that have not passed both chambers by then end with the session and would need to be introduced again in 2027-28. SB 1090, HB 2006 and HB 1925 have each passed one chamber so far. A bill that has passed both chambers by November 30 can still become law after that date, because the Governor has time to act.