Which states already regulate Ai in hiring?

What are California's rules?

California's automated decision system rules under FEHA have been in effect since October 1, 2025. Discrimination through an automated system can violate state law, including by disparate impact, and the employer stays liable even if it did not intend the outcome. Related records must be kept for four years.

California is the broadest of the four places with rules in force. It does not only cover hiring tools. It covers automated decisions across employment, and the liability sits with the employer, not the vendor. Buying the tool does not buy your way out of the rule.

Full detail: Can I use Ai to screen job applicants in California?

What are Illinois's rules?

Illinois HB 3773 took effect January 1, 2026. It makes using Ai that has the effect of discriminating on the basis of a protected class a civil rights violation. HB 3773 also includes a notice duty, but IDHR has not issued rules on timing and form. Covered decisions include recruitment, hiring, promotion, discipline, and discharge.

The notice rules are the part to watch. The Illinois Department of Human Rights proposed notice rules on May 15, 2026, then withdrew them on June 2, 2026. As of November 4, 2026, no notice rules are in force and no revised timeline has been announced. The statute still applies on its own terms, but the notice detail awaits IDHR rules. Illinois does not require a bias audit under HB 3773.

Full detail: Can I use Ai to screen job applicants in Illinois?

What are Texas's rules?

The Texas Responsible Ai Governance Act, TRAIGA, took effect January 1, 2026. It bars Ai systems used to intentionally discriminate in hiring. The key word is intentionally. Texas reaches deliberate discrimination through Ai, not every disparate outcome. That makes it narrower than California and Illinois, but it is still a live rule with real teeth.

Full detail: Can I use Ai to screen job applicants in Texas?

What are New York City's rules?

New York City Local Law 144 has been enforced since July 5, 2023, longer than any of the others. Automated hiring tools need an independent bias audit, a published summary, and notice to candidates. New York City is the only one of the four places with rules in force that requires a bias audit as a matter of course.

If you hire in the city, the audit is not optional. It must be done by an independent auditor, and the summary must be published. Candidates must be told the tool will be used and what it will assess.

Full detail: Can I use Ai to screen job applicants in New York City?

What is Colorado aiming at?

Colorado rewrote its Ai law in May 2026. The original AI Act, SB 24-205, was repealed on May 14, 2026 by SB 26-189 before it ever took effect. The narrower replacement is aimed at January 1, 2027, with notice duties, explanations after adverse outcomes, and three-year record keeping.

Colorado is the one to recheck before January. The replacement is still moving, so confirm the effective date before you rely on it.

Full detail: Can I use Ai to screen job applicants in Colorado?

What is not regulated yet?

There is no single federal Ai hiring law. Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA apply whether a person or an algorithm makes the decision, and the EEOC removed its Ai employment guidance from its website in early 2025. That does not mean federal law is silent. It means the old laws apply to the new tools, and nobody has written a federal Ai hiring statute to make it simple.

More states will follow. The four above have rules in force, and Colorado's replacement is aimed at January 1, 2027. If you hire in more than one state, assume the strictest rule in the set applies to your process, and build to that standard.

What do I do first?

Three steps, in order.

1. List every tool that screens, scores, or ranks candidates. Include the ones your recruiters use without telling you.
2. Ask each vendor for bias testing and what data the tool uses. Get the answer in writing.
3. Tell candidates when Ai is involved, and keep the records. The notice duty is the piece most employers miss, and it is the easiest to fix.

Then read the state pages above for the places you hire. The dates and the duties differ, and the detail matters more than the overview.

HR guidance, not legal advice.

What to do next

Start with the FAQ below for the short answers, then read why Ai needs a strategy for the framework behind the rules. If you want someone to map your tools against the states covered here, that is what an Ai risk and compliance audit is for.