New Mexico AG, Lawmakers Plan 2027 Push for AI Guardrails - govtech.com

The proposed regulations, which would be among the strictest in the nation, come after news reports that a rogue AI system with OpenAI, the company that operates the chatbot ChatGPT, attempted to hack into a digital library at the University of New Mexico earlier this year.

Torrez cited the incident during a Thursday news conference, saying it showed why New Mexico should move quickly to establish a new legal framework for AI systems.

“It’s clear to us the developers of this technology do not have a clear handle on what’s going on,” Torrez said.

He also expressed concern about possible similar hacks targeting New Mexico national laboratories or businesses in the future.

Rep. Linda Serrato, D-Santa Fe, who plans to sponsor the legislation during next year’s session, said the recent incidents have shown self-regulation of the AI industry is not sufficient to prevent rogue hacking.

“We cannot wait any more to see what happens,” said Serrato, who organized a two-day conference on AI-related issues this week at the Roundhouse.

She also said that lawmakers have learned from previous attempts to pass bills related to artificial intelligence at the Roundhouse. Most of those bills did not advance far in the legislative process before stalling.

While the new bill’s language is still being drafted, it would require large AI developers to publicly disclose the risks their models pose. It would also authorize the attorney general to file lawsuits on behalf of New Mexico residents harmed by AI incidents.

Several states have passed laws dealing with artificial intelligence over the last several years, as the technology has advanced and become a mainstay in many households and workplaces. In all, more than 1,000 bills dealing with AI were proposed last year in statehouses around the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California and New York, in particular, have both enacted laws focused on the safety and transparency of AI models.

In contrast, President Donald Trump’s administration has largely dismissed calls for greater oversight of AI systems. The president signed an executive order this week renaming artificial intelligence as “super intelligence,” a term he said better reflects the transformative capabilities of the technology.

Trump also said that he and top AI company leaders had signed a voluntary accord to establish internal controls.

“There's a belief that there should be tremendous self-regulation,” the president reportedly told reporters after meeting with the CEOs who had gathered at the White House.

But the federal resistance to outside oversight of artificial intelligence could add more urgency to New Mexico lawmakers’ debate on the issue, Torrez said.

“If it’s not going to come from Washington D.C., it might as well come from Santa Fe,” he said during Thursday’s news conference at the Roundhouse.

Torrez acknowledged the legislation push would include a request that lawmakers provide funding to staff a new oversight office — called the office of the online safety monitor — within New Mexico’s Department of Justice.

But he pointed out the Legislature could have additional funds stemming from rulings in the state’s lawsuits against social media company Meta.

The first-term Democratic attorney general, who is running for reelection this year, also released a letter he sent Thursday to OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman about the recent UNM hack. The letter requested more information about the loss-of-control incident, including an explanation as to why university and state leaders were not directly notified.

The attempted hacking occurred in May and was targeted at a photograph containing records from a now-defunct tuberculosis sanatorium in Mora County. A research lab identified the cyber attack several months after it happened.

©2026 the Albuquerque Journal, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.