Lawmaker seeks to establish guardrails, ‘some accountability’ around artificial intelligence
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The proposed bill would also prohibit law enforcement from using AI to generate police reports or teachers from using software to create lesson plans.
This story was originally published by Nevada Current.
Democratic state Sen. Dina Neal wants to put some guardrails around artificial intelligence companies setting up in Nevada and prevent some professions such as police officers and teachers from misusing the technology.
Senate Bill 199, heard Wednesday by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, would establish a process for AI companies to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection within the Attorney General’s Office. The legislation would require AI companies to develop, implement and maintain policies, procedures and protocols to prevent hate speech, bullying, bias, fraud and the dissemination of misinformation.
Much of the language in the bill was based on principles outlined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development, a global policy network, and included language similar to “a definition that is used in 44 countries, including the United States,” Neal said.
She also used language found in Colorado legislation that passed in 2024 and established AI regulations.
Business groups, including the Vegas Chamber and the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, opposed the legislation arguing it would stifle “economic growth” by deterring tech companies from moving to the state.
“The unfettered movement of AI without guardrails is not the intent and not the direction I seek to move,” Neal said. “We should know how data is being used within an AI system. We should be able to consent to when and how our information is used in an AI system …There should be some accountability.”
SB 199, if passed, would also prohibit law enforcement from using AI to generate police reports or teachers from using software to create lesson plans.
The Associated Press reported last year that Oklahoma City was using AI chatbots to generate crime reports from recordings picked up by body cameras and police radios. Neal was shocked by the story and realized “we really need to deal with this” to ensure there were “guardrails that are associated with police reporting.”
“I wanted to make sure that it was something we were proactively considering,” Neal said, expressing alarm at the possibility that “a person is actually going to be affected negatively by the police reporting that may not have been done by (police), but by an AI chatbot.”
Law enforcement groups, including Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, opposed the section.
Jason Walker, a lobbyist for the Washoe County Sheriff’s office, said there are “many advantageous uses of AI in the law enforcement profession.”
He didn’t specify what specifically about the prohibition on using AI to generate police reports he was against.
In addition to preventing teachers from creating AI-generated lesson plans, the bill creates a working group on the use of artificial intelligence systems in the education system to develop further recommendations and guidelines.
Two Clark High School students who worked on sections of the bill regarding education presented the legislation alongside Neal on Wednesday.
They cited a recent incident in which five students in a business class turned in nearly identical AI generated assignments – with the same spelling mistakes.
Celine Chang warned lawmakers that “unregulated AI use is affecting students, teachers and the learning environment” but the state lacks standardized regulations.
Clark student Karen Wu, said AI isn’t just a tool to “supplement learning but to replace it.”
“We acknowledge that AI is not going away, but the way we integrate it into education will determine whether it becomes a tool for enrichment or a shortcut that erodes learning,” she said.
The bill would also prevent landlords and property management groups from using AI from determining rent prices.
Republican state Sen. John Steinbeck questioned if that provision would hurt the housing market.
“It’s my understanding that apartment operations utilize AI software to assist with filling apartments,” he said. “It helps them with the market analysis and may actually help lower some housing costs.”
The provision, Neal said, was to prevent price fixing by real estate software companies such as Real Page, which has faced numerous lawsuits for artificially raising the price of rents. RealPage has denied wrongdoing in these cases.
Neal specifically highlighted the North Carolina case where the state attorney general “sued six companies for colluding to raise rent instead of competing in the fair market using AI tools.”
“They exploited landlord sensitive information to create a price fixing algorithm, or pricing algorithm that violated antitrust laws,” she said.
The legislation would also require the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to estimate the number and types of Nevada jobs at risk of being lost due to AI.
“We have seen reports that within five years, there’s going to be a serious shedding of traditional jobs” as a result of AI, Neal said. “At the end of the day, the state is responsible if their citizens are out of work.”
Other than the bill’s presenters — Neal and the students — no one testified in support of the legislation.
The committee took no action on the bill.
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