In the United States, states are legislating in a scattered order on AI in schools

The 2026 legislative session will see an increase in the number of texts governing the use of artificial intelligence in education, with significantly different approaches from one State to another.

In the absence of a federal framework, it is the US states that define the rules for the use of artificial intelligence in schools. The legislative session 2026 confirms this dynamic, with an increasing number of texts tabled and adopted, but guidelines that differ considerably between States.

Maryland illustrates the most comprehensive approach: its legislation requires the Department of Education to publish guidelines, requires school districts to develop their own policies, integrates AI into teacher training frameworks, and establishes a state-wide monitoring structure for primary and secondary education. Other States are limited to narrower provisions, focusing on academic integrity or student data protection.

This legislative activity responds to a documented gap in the field: the proportion of primary and secondary school teachers using general AI in their work doubled in one year, but only about one third stated that they had clear rules or guidelines governing this use.