Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence, and creating a civil cause of action
Sponsored by Rep. Henry Stone (R)
Topics:Civil rightsCourts & civil lawTechnology & privacyArtificial intelligence
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 15, 2026
- Stopped: SubcommitteeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by February 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: Senate committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary People would be banned from using artificial intelligence to recreate someone's voice or appearance without their permission for certain uses, such as in political campaigns or commercial ads. This rule applies if the AI version is meant to look or sound exactly like the real person. If someone breaks this law, the affected person can sue for money in court.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The bill defines “artificial intelligence” as any machine-based system that, for any explicit or implicit objective, infers from the inputs the system receives to generate outputs, including content, decisions, predictions, or recommendations, that can influence physical or virtual environments. The bill prohibits a person from using AI to intentionally recreate the audio or visual likeness of an individual without the consent of the individual if the likeness was intended to be substantially indistinguishable from the individual and the likeness is used in commercial activity; a political campaign which the individual does not support; a manner intended to make other persons believe that the individual engages in activities the individual would reasonably find offensive; a manner intended to diminish the individual’s credibility, cause embarrassment, or otherwise lower the individual’s esteem within the individual’s community; or a manner intended to induce a person to take an action or divulge information the person otherwise would not. The bill allows a person to bring an action for actual damages and punitive damages for a violation of the bill, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs. Punitive damages cannot exceed $250,000 per violation. The bill allows persons to bring class actions in accordance with the Iowa rules of civil procedure for violations of the bill. The bill requires the court to specify the amount of actual damages, punitive damages, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees for each violation of the new Code chapter. The bill lists several factors a court must consider when determining the amount of punitive damages under the new Code chapter. A person is considered to have committed a separate violation for each day a likeness is used in violation of the bill. The bill does not preclude a person from bringing an action under any other provision of law.