Workforce Bulletin

On June 22, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into the law the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) or (the Act). The Act, which goes into effect January 1, 2026, “seeks to protect public safety, individual rights, and privacy while encouraging the safe advancement of AI technology in Texas.”

Formerly known as HB 149, the Act requires a government agency to disclose to consumers that they are interacting with AI—no matter how obvious this might appear—through plain language, clear and conspicuous wording requirements, and more. The same disclosure requirement also applies to providers of health care services or treatment, when the service or treatment is first provided or, in cases of emergency, as soon as reasonably possible.

The Act further prohibits the development or deployment of AI systems intended for behavioral manipulation, including AI intended to encourage people to harm themselves, harm others, or engage in criminal activity (see a post by our colleagues on Utah’s regulation of mental health chatbots).

On January 26, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) released guidance entitled Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) (the “AI RMF”), intended to help organizations and individuals in the design, development, deployment, and use of AI systems. The AI RMF, like the White House’s recently published Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, is not legally binding. Nevertheless, as state and local regulators begin enforcing rules governing the use of AI systems, industry professionals will likely turn to NIST’s voluntary guidance when performing risk assessments of AI systems, negotiating contracts with vendors, performing audits on AI systems, and monitoring the use AI systems.