Arkansas Act 848 (HB 1958) — All Public Entities Must Adopt AI Policy
Arkansas · Ark. Act 848 / HB 1958 (2025 Regular Session), eff. August 3, 2025
Arkansas Act 848 (HB 1958), signed April 17, 2025 and effective August 3, 2025, requires every state agency, school district, county, municipality, and other public entity in Arkansas to adopt a written policy governing the use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making tools. Each policy must: (1) require a human official to make or confirm any final decision affecting citizens; (2) provide staff training on AI tool limitations; (3) make the policy publicly accessible upon request; and (4) prohibit using AI to make decisions based on political affiliation or for unlawful purposes. Passed unanimously — 93-0 in the House, 35-0 in the Senate.
Technical detail
Arkansas Act 848 (HB 1958) requires all public entities (state agencies, school districts, counties, municipalities, and other public bodies) to adopt written policies on the use of AI systems and automated decision-making tools. Required policy elements: human final-decision authority, employee training, public accessibility, prohibition on politically-motivated or unlawful AI use. Effective August 3, 2025. Enforcement through each entity's internal governance; no standalone enforcement agency or civil penalty specified.
Who is protected: Arkansas residents interacting with any state or local government agency using AI/automated decision tools
Who must comply: All Arkansas public entities including state agencies, school districts, counties, cities, and other government bodies
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Moderate protection |
| Effective date | 2025-08-03 |
| Enacted | 2025-04-17 |
| Citation | Ark. Act 848 / HB 1958 (2025 Regular Session), eff. August 3, 2025 |
| Enforced by | Internal to each public entity; no centralized enforcement agency specified |
| Topics | government use of AI · automated decision-making |
| Last verified | 2026-06-26 |
| Official source | Arkansas Legislature — HB 1958 (Act 848, 2025 Regular Session) ↗ |
More AI rules in Arkansas
- Arkansas Deepfake Sexual Content Act · In effect
- Arkansas AI CSAM Law · In effect
- AR Generative AI Ownership Act (Act 927) · In effect
- AR Act 1096 (2019 AV) · In effect
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
Related government use of AI rules elsewhere
- Federal AI Executive Orders · In effect
- NIST AI RMF (voluntary AI risk framework) · In effect
- OMB M-25-21 · In effect
- OMB M-25-22 · In effect
- DOJ ADA Title II Web Rule · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- OPM AI Workforce Guidance · In effect
See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction — every entry must carry a verifiable official source.