Home › AI Laws › Wisconsin › Madison, WI
AI Laws in Madison, WI, Wisconsin
As of 2026-07-26, AI Laws USA tracks 22 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Madison, WI, Wisconsin: 10+ federal protections, 10 Wisconsin state-level rules, and 2 local Madison, WI ordinances. Coverage is strongest on government use of AI, consumer data privacy, AI disclosure and transparency, and consumer protection. 11 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Madison, WI local AI rules
2 local AI rules specific to Madison, WI, Wisconsin.
-
In effect Limited protection
Use of Surveillance Technology Ordinance (Ordinance 59300; M
Madison, WI · Effective 2020-01-01 · Use of Surveillance Technology Ordinance (Ordinance 59300; MGO 23.63)
Madison requires city agencies to notify the Mayor and Common Council and route surveillance-technology acquisitions through Council approval, plus annual public reporting on surveillance technology use.
-
In effect Limited protection
Ordinance ORD-20-00056 prohibiting city-agency use of facial
Madison, WI · Effective 2020-12-01 · Ordinance ORD-20-00056 prohibiting city-agency use of facial recognition technology
Madison's Common Council voted 17-2 to bar city agencies from acquiring or using facial recognition technology or facial-surveillance-derived information, with narrow exceptions for human-trafficking and missing/exploited-children cases.
Wisconsin-level AI rules most relevant to Madison, WI
10 Wisconsin state rules apply to residents and businesses in Madison, WI. Showing the 8 most relevant to Madison, WI's local picture; 2 more are on the Wisconsin jurisdiction page.
-
In effect Limited protection
We Energies Very Large Customer (VLC) Data Center Tariff Ord
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (We Energies) · Effective 2026-04-24 · We Energies Very Large Customer (VLC) Data Center Tariff Order
The Wisconsin PSC approved but overhauled We Energies' data center tariff, lowering the eligibility threshold from 500 MW to 100 MW, extending the minimum contract term to 15 years, and removing a capacity-only option so data centers pay their full share and existing customers are not subsidizing them.
-
In effect Limited protection
State of Wisconsin Acceptable Technology Use, Access, and Se
Wisconsin · Effective 2025-03-10 · State of Wisconsin Acceptable Technology Use, Access, and Security Policy (includes AI-use provisions)
The Wisconsin Department of Administration's enterprise technology policy governs acceptable use of state IT resources by executive-branch employees and incorporates guidance on the use of artificial intelligence.
-
In effect Limited protection
Empowering Lifelong Learning: AI Guidance for Enhancing K-12
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) · Effective 2024-07-29 · Empowering Lifelong Learning: AI Guidance for Enhancing K-12 and Library Education
Wisconsin's education department released 22-page guidance for K-12 classrooms and libraries covering core AI concepts, ethics/data policy, security, professional development, and curriculum integration.
-
In effect Limited protection
WI drone-surveillance ban
Wisconsin · Effective 2014-04-10 · Wis. Stat. §§ 942.10, 175.55
Wisconsin made it a Class A misdemeanor to use a drone to observe or record any person in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and requires police to obtain a warrant before using drones for surveillance.
-
In effect Limited protection
WI PDD Act 13 (2017)
Wisconsin · Effective 2017-07-01 · Wis. Stat. § 346.804; 2017 Wis. Act 13
Wisconsin authorized sidewalk delivery robots up to 80 lb at up to 10 mph, requires operators to carry $100,000 in liability insurance, and allows cities to set additional rules but not outright bans.
-
In effect Limited protection
WI EO 211
WI · Effective 2023-08-23 · Wis. Exec. Order No. 211 (Aug. 23, 2023)
Governor Evers's EO 211 created a workforce-focused AI Task Force that produced a 2024 advisory action plan on AI's labor-market impact, with recommendations for workforce development and reskilling.
-
Enacted (not yet in effect) Limited protection
Wisconsin 452.136(1m) (real estate ads must disclose AI-altered property images)
Wisconsin · Effective 2027-01-01 · Wis. Stat. 452.136(1m); 2025 Wis. Act 69
Wisconsin will require licensed real estate professionals to disclose in their advertising whenever an ad has been altered or modified using technology, including AI, to add, remove, or change elements of a property in a way that creates a false or misleading impression. The rule targets AI-edited listing photos that could mislead buyers or renters. It takes effect January 1, 2027.
-
In effect Limited protection
WI AI Election Disclosure Law
Wisconsin · Effective 2024-03-22 · 2023 Wis. Act 123; Wis. Stat. ch. 11
Wisconsin requires political communications paid for by campaigns, PACs, or parties to carry a clear 'Contains content generated by AI' disclosure if they include synthetic media. Violations carry up to $1,000 per offense via the Ethics Commission.
Federal AI rules that apply in Madison, WI, Wisconsin
These federal protections apply everywhere in the United States, including Madison, WI, Wisconsin. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
-
In effect Stronger protection
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective 2025-09-05 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup ruled that training on lawfully purchased books was fair use. The piracy claims (LibGen ingestion) were not adjudicated to a final ruling — they proceeded toward settlement. In September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement, though Judge Alsup denied preliminary approval without prejudice pending additional information on the claims protocol and attorney fees.
-
In effect Stronger protection
Benavides v. Tesla (Autopilot)
S.D. Fla. · Effective 2025-08-01 · Benavides v. Tesla, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-21940 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 1, 2025)
A Florida federal jury found Tesla 33% liable in August 2025 for the 2019 death of Naibel Benavides Leon, in a crash involving Autopilot. The jury awarded $243M ($129M compensatory + $200M punitive); in February 2026 the court denied Tesla's post-trial motions and upheld the verdict in full — the first Autopilot wrongful-death verdict against Tesla.
-
In effect Stronger protection
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective 2025-06-23 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
-
In effect Stronger protection
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective 2025-05-19 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
-
Blocked / in litigation Stronger protection
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective 2025-04-16 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 16, 2025)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was preliminarily enjoined on February 12, 2024, then permanently enjoined on April 16, 2025 when the district court granted summary judgment for NetChoice. The state appealed to the Sixth Circuit, which vacated the district court's injunction in 2026.
-
In effect Stronger protection
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective 2025-03-18 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is dispositive as a matter of statutory law. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
-
In effect Stronger protection
Thomson Reuters v. Ross
D. Del. · Effective 2025-02-11 · Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence, Inc., No. 1:20-cv-00613 (D. Del. Feb. 11, 2025)
Thomson Reuters sued legal-research startup Ross Intelligence in 2020 for copying Westlaw headnotes to train a competing AI legal-research tool. In February 2025, Judge Stephanos Bibas (sitting by designation) granted summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on direct copyright infringement and rejected Ross's fair-use defense — the first definitive U.S. ruling on AI-training fair use. No jury trial occurred: a 2023 opinion had denied summary judgment and pointed toward trial, but the court invited renewed briefing and reversed course in the 2025 ruling.
-
In effect Stronger protection
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective 2024-11-20 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
-
In effect Stronger protection
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective 2024-04-01 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
-
In effect Stronger protection
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective 2024-02-08 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Madison, WI, Wisconsin
Are there AI laws in Madison, WI, Wisconsin?
What federal AI rules apply in Madison, WI?
Does Wisconsin have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in Wisconsin?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Madison, WI?
How do I report an AI law violation in Madison, WI?
Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Madison, WI?
Is Madison, WI regulated by Wisconsin's consumer privacy act?
Have we missed an AI rule in Madison, WI?
This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Madison, WI ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email [email protected] or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.