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

As of November 2026, Rhode Island has not enacted a comprehensive AI law. It has targeted ones, led by three acts signed June 22, 2026: a patient notice rule for AI used to document visits (S 2570, ch. 372), limits on AI in mental health care (S 2197, ch. 374), and an AI companion chatbot law (S 2195, ch. 376) scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027.

Rhode Island also has 2025 deepfake laws and a privacy-law right to opt out of certain automated profiling. The high-risk AI bill, S 627, did not pass. For other states, see our AI laws by state guide.

AI Companion Chatbot Law (S 2195 / H 7350): Scheduled for January 1, 2027

S 2195 Sub A (P.L. 2026 ch. 376) and its companion H 7350 Sub A (ch. 375) were signed June 22, 2026. Section 2 says the act "shall take effect on January 1, 2027." The enrolled text numbers the new law chapter 6-64 of Title 6.

An "AI companion" is a system using AI, generative AI or emotional recognition algorithms "to simulate a sustained human or human-like relationship with a user by" doing all three of these things:

• Retaining information on prior interactions or user sessions and user preferences to personalize the interaction.
• "Asking unprompted or unsolicited emotion-based questions that go beyond a direct response to a user prompt."
• "Sustaining an ongoing dialogue concerning matters personal to the user."

The definition leaves out a system a business uses solely for customer service, a system "primarily designed and marketed for providing efficiency improvements or research or technical assistance", and a system a business uses solely for internal purposes or employee productivity.

From the effective date, section 6-64-2 makes it unlawful for an operator to operate or provide an AI companion unless it has a protocol for addressing possible suicidal ideation or self-harm and possible physical harm to others. When those expressions are detected, the user must get a notification referring them to crisis service providers.

Section 6-64-3 requires a clear and conspicuous notice at the beginning of an interaction, and at least every three hours in a continuing one, that the user is not communicating with a human.

The Attorney General may investigate, sue and seek injunctions. Under section 6-64-4(b), violations "may result in civil penalties up to fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) per day, with fines directed to suicide prevention programs." The chapter does not mention a private right of action, and we found no provision in it specific to minors.

AI in Mental Health Care Act (S 2197 / H 7349, Ch. 40.1-5.5)

S 2197 Sub A as amended (ch. 374) and H 7349 Sub A (ch. 373) took effect on passage, June 22, 2026. The Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Mental Health Care Act has three main rules.

Who may offer therapy. Under section 40.1-5.5-3(b), "An individual, corporation, or entity may not provide, advertise, or otherwise offer therapy or psychotherapy services, including through the use of internet-based artificial intelligence, to the public in this state unless the therapy or psychotherapy services are conducted by an individual who is a licensed professional or provider."

Written consent. Section 40.1-5.5-3(a) addresses AI "designed to simulate emotional attachment, bonding, or dependency" and AI companions used for mental health or emotional support. A licensed professional or provider may not use it to assist in supplementary support or therapeutic communication where the session is recorded or transcribed, unless the patient or a legally authorized representative is told in writing that AI will be used and its specific purpose, and gives consent. "Consent" is an affirmative written agreement and is revocable. Accepting general terms of use does not count.

What AI may not do for a licensed professional. Under section 40.1-5.5-3(c), a professional may not allow or use AI to make independent therapeutic decisions or to determine therapeutic recommendations or treatment plans. AI also may not directly interact with clients in therapeutic communication without an established relationship, as that subsection describes it.

The act defines "permitted use" as AI that assists with administrative or supplementary support, such as scheduling, billing and therapy notes, while the professional keeps responsibility for clinical judgment.

The chapter does not apply to religious counseling, peer support, public self-help and educational materials that do not purport to offer therapy, AI tools cleared by the FDA or another federal agency tasked with approving AI for health care, or certain research approved by an institutional review board.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services may investigate any violation and may issue rules. The chapter's penalty clause, section 40.1-5.5-5(a), applies the penalties of section 5-37.3-9 to violations of the confidentiality provisions. It names no separate penalty for the consent or licensed-provider rules. We did not confirm whether any rules have been issued.

Healthcare AI Notification Act (S 2570 / H 7538)

The Use of Artificial Intelligence by Healthcare Providers Notification Act (S 2570 Sub A, ch. 372; H 7538 Sub A, ch. 199) took effect on passage, June 22, 2026. The enrolled text numbers it chapter 23-108 of Title 23.

The whole duty is one sentence: "Any and all healthcare providers and healthcare facilities that employ artificial intelligence ('AI') to document in-person or telehealth visits shall notify patients of the use of AI for that sole purpose and review the AI-generated documentation for accuracy after the visit."

"Healthcare provider" means physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered and practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, and other healthcare professionals licensed by the director of the department of health. The enrolled text has no penalty or enforcement section, and it does not state a private right of action.

Rhode Island Deepfake Laws (H 5046 / S 0136 and H 5872 / S 0816)

Two acts signed July 2, 2025 took effect on passage. S 0136 (ch. 429; H 5046, ch. 430) extended R.I. Gen. Laws 11-64-3, the unauthorized dissemination statute, to "any image created by a digital device or altered by digitization", on that statute's other elements, including lack of consent and a harm or intent requirement.

H 5872 Sub A (ch. 409; S 0816 Sub A, ch. 410) added chapter 17-30. It bars candidates, campaign committees, political action and party committees, and those making independent expenditures from distributing synthetic media they know or should know is deceptive and fraudulent within 90 days of an election, unless it carries a disclosure that it was manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence. A depicted candidate may sue, and exemptions include satire or parody. Details are on our Rhode Island deepfake laws page.

Opting Out of Automated Profiling (R.I. Gen. Laws 6-48.1)

The Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act, effective January 1, 2026, gives a customer the right to opt out of "profiling in furtherance of solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the customer." Under section 6-48.1-2, those are decisions resulting in the provision or denial of financial or lending services, housing, insurance, education enrollment or opportunity, criminal justice, employment opportunities, healthcare services, or access to essential goods or services.

The act has limits. Section 6-48.1-5 applies to for-profit entities that do business in Rhode Island or target its residents and that, in the preceding calendar year, controlled or processed the personal data of at least 35,000 customers, not counting data used solely to complete a payment, or of at least 10,000 customers while deriving more than 20% of gross revenue from selling personal data.

A "customer" is a Rhode Island resident acting in an individual or household context, not someone acting in a commercial or employment context. Section 6-48.1-3 excludes state agencies, nonprofits, higher education institutions, financial institutions or data subject to Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and HIPAA covered entities and business associates.

The Attorney General has sole enforcement authority under section 6-48.1-8, which says nothing in that section authorizes a private right of action.

Regulators, Courts and the Governor

Insurance. The NAIC's status list, dated November 3, 2026, shows Rhode Island adopting its model bulletin on insurers' use of AI as Insurance Bulletin No. 2024-03 on March 15, 2024. An insurance bulletin is a regulator's statement of expectations under existing law, not a new law.

Courts. In an order entered June 17, 2026, the Rhode Island Supreme Court amended a comment to Rule 1.1 so lawyers should keep abreast of the benefits and risks of "existing and developing technology." It also adopted interim generative AI guidelines for lawyers and for judicial officers. The order says the guidelines do not "carry the force of law" and are advisory.

Governor. StateScoop and ABC6 reported that Governor McKee signed Executive Order 24-06, creating an AI Task Force, on February 29, 2024. We did not read the order itself.

Attorney General. Attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia announced separate suits against OpenAI on October 14, 2026. Official releases from several of those states also name Kansas. Rhode Island is not among the states those releases name. We found no action under a Rhode Island AI statute, based on web searches, not a court docket search.

AI Note-Takers and Recording in Rhode Island

A clinician using AI to document a visit has the notice duty described above. For how recording consent rules apply to AI meeting tools, see our Rhode Island AI meeting recording laws page.

How Federal AI Policy Affects Rhode Island

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.

The Justice Department formed an AI Litigation Task Force in January 2026, the White House issued legislative recommendations in March 2026, and the FTC proposed a policy statement in July 2026. Separately, in April 2026 the Justice Department intervened in a lawsuit against Colorado's AI law under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We did not find a published Commerce evaluation of state laws in the Federal Register or on ntia.gov, or a BEAD notice carrying the order's AI condition on NTIA's sites. Our state AI law preemption page tracks this.

Rhode Island AI Bills That Did Not Become Law (2025-2026)

These are the last actions the General Assembly's status site showed when read November 4, 2026. None of these bills was enacted.

What Changes in Rhode Island AI Law in 2027

As of November 4, 2026, these are the AI-related dates we found for 2027:

• January 1, 2027: The AI companion law (S 2195 / H 7350) is scheduled to take effect, with its safety protocol, three-hour notice and Attorney General enforcement.
• July 1, 2027: Operators' annual reports to the Attorney General begin. The Attorney General must publish aggregated data on its website.
• January 2027 session: New bills may be filed. LegiScan lists the 2026 session as adjourned sine die, and Route Fifty reported that the sponsor of S 2010 plans to reintroduce it. A report of a plan is not a bill.

We searched the full text of the public laws posted for 2025 (through number 473) and 2026 (through number 427) on the legislature's site for terms including "artificial intelligence", "automated decision", "automated processing", "algorithm", "machine learning", "chatbot", "generative", "deepfake" and "synthetic media". Apart from the acts on this page, the hits were an insurance-score definition and a life sciences definition. That search would miss a law using other words, and we did not read any executive branch rules.

This page is general legal information about Rhode Island law as of November 4, 2026, not legal advice. Whether a law applies to a particular person or business depends on the facts, so consult a lawyer licensed in Rhode Island for advice about your situation.

More Rhode Island Laws

Explore other Rhode Island law topics on Recording Law:

• Rhode Island Recording Laws
• Rhode Island Data Privacy Laws
• Rhode Island Whistleblower Laws
• Rhode Island Sexting Laws
• Rhode Island Background Check Laws
• Rhode Island Deepfake Laws
• Rhode Island AI Meeting Recording Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rhode Island have an AI law?

Rhode Island has no comprehensive AI law as of November 2026, but it has targeted ones. Three acts signed June 22, 2026 cover AI documentation of patient visits (S 2570), AI in mental health care (S 2197) and AI companions (S 2195). The companion law is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027.

When does the Rhode Island AI companion law take effect?

January 1, 2027, under Section 2 of the act. Operators' annual reports to the Attorney General begin July 1, 2027.

What is the penalty under Rhode Island's AI companion law?

Violations may result in civil penalties of up to $15,000 per day, with fines directed to suicide prevention programs. The Attorney General enforces the chapter, and the chapter does not mention a private right of action. The law is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027.

Can an AI chatbot provide therapy in Rhode Island?

Under R.I. Gen. Laws 40.1-5.5-3(b), an individual, corporation or entity may not provide, advertise or otherwise offer therapy or psychotherapy services to the public in Rhode Island, including through internet-based AI, unless a licensed professional or provider conducts them. The chapter exempts religious counseling, peer support, public self-help materials that do not purport to offer therapy, federally cleared AI tools and certain approved research.

Does my doctor have to tell me about AI in Rhode Island?

If a healthcare provider or facility uses AI to document an in-person or telehealth visit, it must notify you of that use and review the documentation for accuracy after the visit. The act covers that documentation use. It has no penalty section.

Does Rhode Island regulate AI in hiring?

We found no enacted Rhode Island statute setting AI duties for employers, based on a keyword search of the full text of the 2025 and 2026 public laws, which would miss a law using other words. S 2499 passed the Senate in June 2026 and was referred to House Labor, and H 7767 was held for further study. Neither became law.

Does Rhode Island regulate AI used by health insurers?

We found no enacted statute on it, based on the same keyword search. S 13 and S 2010 each passed the Senate without House action. Insurance Bulletin 2024-03 adopts the NAIC model bulletin on insurers' use of AI, which is a statement of expectations under existing law, not a new statute.

Are deepfakes illegal in Rhode Island?

Certain ones. R.I. Gen. Laws 11-64-3 reaches images created by a digital device or altered by digitization, on that statute's elements, including lack of consent and a harm or intent requirement. Chapter 17-30 bars candidates, campaign, political action and party committees, and those making independent expenditures from distributing deceptive and fraudulent synthetic media within 90 days of an election unless it carries an AI disclosure, with exemptions including satire or parody, and lets a depicted candidate sue.

Can I opt out of AI decisions in Rhode Island?

The privacy act lets a customer opt out of profiling in furtherance of solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. It reaches for-profit entities above set customer-count thresholds. It applies to people acting in an individual or household context, not a commercial or employment context, and it excludes groups such as state agencies, nonprofits, certain financial institutions and HIPAA covered entities. Only the Attorney General enforces it.

Will Rhode Island AI law change in 2027?

Yes. The AI companion law is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, and operators' annual reports begin July 1, 2027. New bills may also be filed in the 2027 session.