Virginia's 2026 General Assembly session, which adjourned sine die on March 14, sent only a handful of artificial intelligence measures to Gov. Abigail Spanberger's desk. The majority of AI bills introduced this year were tabled, referred to study commissions, or carried over to 2027.
The most significant casualty was SB 796, Sen. Tara Durant's Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Minors Act. The bill would have required operators of chatbots with at least 500,000 monthly active users to implement safeguards when users display signs of emotional dependence or suicidal ideation, provide crisis resources, and attempt to notify emergency services when practicable. The House Communications, Technology and Innovation Committee voted to carry it to the 2027 session and refer it to the Joint Commission on Technology and Science for further study.
SB 269, which would have specified when licensed mental health providers may use AI to assist in therapy, met the same fate. The bill passed the Senate unanimously before the House committee continued it to 2027 by voice vote.
The session's cautious posture reflects the shadow of two forces pulling in opposite directions.
In March 2025, then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed HB 2094, the state's first comprehensive AI anti-discrimination statute, arguing it would stifle business investment. The House sustained the veto in April. This year, Del. Cliff Hayes, who chairs the Communications, Technology and Innovation Committee, said AI bills must clear three tests before advancing: they cannot conflict with Virginia's Consumer Data Protection Act, impose a significant fiscal burden, or duplicate federal efforts under consideration by the Trump administration.
SB 141 emerged as the session's most visible AI measure to survive.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mark Peake, requires political campaign content generated or altered by AI to carry a disclosure statement reading that the material contains synthetic media. The Senate passed it 34–4; the House approved a substitute version 62–34 on March 12. HB 797, which directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to evaluate a framework for independent organizations that verify AI models, also advanced through both chambers with a proposed $450,000 first-year appropriation.
