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AI Laws in Rhode Island
As of 2026-08-12, AI Laws USA tracks 13 AI rules in Rhode Island: 7 state-level rules and 6 county or city rules. Federal AI protections apply statewide on top of these — see the federal page. Each entry links to its official source.
Rhode Island state-level AI rules (7)
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In effect
RI Therapy Chatbot Ban (2026)
Rhode Island · Effective 2026-06-22 · Rhode Island H 7349 / S 2197 (2026), signed June 22, 2026
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed H 7349 / S 2197 on June 22, 2026, prohibiting any person or business from providing therapy or psychotherapy services using artificial intelligence. Only licensed mental health professionals may conduct such sessions. The law targets AI companion chatbots and virtual therapy products that may lead users to believe they are receiving licensed mental health care from a human professional.
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In effect
RI AI Companion Self-Harm Safety (2026)
Rhode Island · Effective 2026-06-22 · Rhode Island S 2195 / H 7350 (2026), signed June 22, 2026
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed S 2195 / H 7350 on June 22, 2026, requiring operators of AI companion chatbots to implement protocols for identifying and responding to suicidal ideation. Chatbot operators must provide users experiencing suicidal ideation with crisis resources and may not discourage users from seeking professional help. Civil penalties reach $15,000 per day per violation, with proceeds directed to Rhode Island suicide prevention programs.
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In effect
RI Privacy Law (RIDTPPA)
Rhode Island · Effective 2026-01-01 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-48.1 (2024)
Rhode Island residents can access, correct, delete, and port their data, and opt out of targeted advertising, data sales, and profiling. The Attorney General enforces with fines up to $10,000 per violation and — unusually — no cure period.
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In effect
RI Synthetic Intimate Imagery Law
Rhode Island · Effective 2025-07-02 · 2025 RI H5046 / S0136
Rhode Island updated its unauthorized-image ("revenge porn") statute to explicitly criminalize sexually explicit images that were created by a digital device or AI — i.e., synthetic nudes and explicit deepfakes of real people — making nonconsensual creation and distribution a crime. Signed into law July 2, 2025.
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In effect
Rhode Island 17-30 (ban on undisclosed election deepfakes near an election)
Rhode Island · Effective 2025-07-02 · R.I. Gen. Laws 17-30-1 to 17-30-4; P.L. 2025, ch. 409 & 410, eff. July 2, 2025
Rhode Island bars distributing synthetic media that the distributor knows is a deceptive and fraudulent deepfake of a candidate within 90 days of an election. The ban does not apply if the image, audio, or video carries a clear disclosure that it was manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence. A candidate depicted in violating media can sue to block its distribution and may also recover damages.
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In effect
RI DOI AI Bulletin
RI · Effective 2024-03-15 · Rhode Island DBR Insurance Bulletin 2024-03 (2024-03-15)
The RI Department of Insurance adopted the NAIC Model Bulletin on Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers. Insurers licensed in RI must maintain a written AI program with governance, risk-management, testing, third-party-AI oversight, and documentation controls. The bulletin operationalizes existing unfair-trade-practice and unfair-discrimination law as applied to insurers' AI use cases — underwriting, pricing, claims, fraud detection, and marketing.
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In effect
Executive Order 24-06: Artificial Intelligence and Data Cent
Rhode Island · Effective 2024-02-29 · Executive Order 24-06: Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers of Excellence
Governor Dan McKee's executive order establishes an AI Task Force, an AI Center of Excellence and a Data Center of Excellence, and directs the Department of Administration to develop a state code of ethics for AI and secure AI adoption across state agencies.
County and city AI rules in Rhode Island (6)
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In effect
Smithfield Town Council data center zoning ban ordinance
Smithfield, RI · Effective 2026-05-05 · Smithfield Town Council data center zoning ban ordinance
The Smithfield Town Council voted 4-1 to adopt a zoning amendment listing data centers as a 'not permitted' use in every zoning district, taking effect 30 days after the vote.
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In effect
Ordinance prohibiting price-fixing rental algorithms
Providence, RI · Effective 2025-05-15 · Ordinance prohibiting price-fixing rental algorithms
Providence (ordinance by Council President Rachel Miller, final passage May 15, 2025) bans landlords from using price-fixing rental algorithms like RealPage, with civil penalties up to $500 per day per instance of violation.
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In effect
Providence GenAI Policy
Providence, RI · Effective 2024-08-01 · City of Providence IT Dept., GenAI Acceptable Use Policy (2024)
City of Providence administrative policy on employee use of generative AI with disclosure, prohibited-data, and human-review rules.
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In effect
Providence Police Department General Order 460.01 - Unmanned
Providence, RI · Effective 2024-03-01 · Providence Police Department General Order 460.01 - Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations
The Providence Police Department issued General Order 460.01 governing its UAS operations, a formal written policy setting the rules for drone deployment by the department.
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In effect
City of Warwick ordinance regulating ALPR technology systems
Warwick, RI · Effective 2022-10-01 · City of Warwick ordinance regulating ALPR technology systems (Chapter 52)
Warwick adopted an ordinance restricting automated license plate reader use to official law enforcement purposes, capping data retention at 30 days and barring sale or sharing of ALPR data with non-law-enforcement third parties.
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Proposed / pending
Providence CPRA Amendments
Providence, RI · Providence CPRA amendments (introduced Oct. 6, 2025)
Providence Council Committee advanced amendments to the Community-Police Relations Act that would bar RTCC/ALPR use to assist federal immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant, prohibit demographic data collection via city surveillance, and require written agreements with data-accessing partner agencies.
Rhode Island city guides
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