Artificial intelligence is already part of everyday life, powering everything from phones to some public services.
While AI offers benefits, Nevada lawmakers are raising concerns about its potential misuse, overreach, and the loss of human judgment. At the same time, some worry that too much regulation could stunt innovation and slow progress.
This legislative session, lawmakers are considering multiple bills — ranging from medical applications to political content and explicit material — as they work to keep pace with rapidly evolving AI technology.
The bill with the most traction so far is SB263. Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, the bill would extend Nevada’s existing statutes on pornography to include the criminalization of AI-generated child pornography.
Lucia Starbuck, politics reporter for KUNR, said the proposal is a major focus for lawmakers due to the nature of AI.
“With how easy it is to use AI, it's not like Photoshop, which needs a little bit of finesse, and AI can look really realistic too.”
Starbuck continued, “With how quickly AI is evolving and how easy it is for anyone to use, lawmakers are feeling that they have to do something about it now, especially when considering Nevada's biennial legislature.”
When it comes to healthcare, SB128, introduced by Democratic State Senator Dina Neal, would prohibit health insurers from using AI to modify prior authorization requests for patients.
Additionally, SB186, from Republican State Senator Jeff Stone, would force healthcare facilities to disclose when using AI to communicate with patients.
Starbuck said bills like these address the wariness people have of AI.
“There’s concern on [SB128] having a discriminatory outcome, like it denying [a prior authorization request] when it shouldn't. People are just a little bit wary of AI and are wanting an actual person to make that decision,” Starbuck said.
Another bill from Senator Dina Neal, SB199, is wide-ranging and would require health insurers, banks, and other financial institutions to obtain consent to use customer data to train AI.
It would prohibit the use of AI for generating police reports and lesson plans in public schools, and require AI companies to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Joshua Leavitt, CEO and Founder of the local tech hub organization Tech Alley, said he’s worried bills like these might slow innovation.
“Nevada is going through a renaissance of innovation and startups right now,” Leavitt said. “People are leaving California and coming here. [The tech world] is a world where things need to be done quickly and you learn to fail fast.”
He continued, “There are points where, if there's a problem and it really is affecting society, then we legislatively tackle that. But I ask our legislators to stay away from the preemptive. That’s where you stunt innovation.”
However, Brad Johnson, Assistant Professor of Public Administration for the University of Nevada, Reno, said at the core of most AI-related legislation is a push for transparency.
“Most of the intent behind the laws we’re seeing in this session, and around the country, is transparency — just making sure people are documenting and talking about when they're using these tools.”
In December of last year, Governor Joe Lombardo announced a new policy for the state’s executive branch, establishing guidelines that AI should be used responsibly, ethically, and transparently.
Guests: Lucia Starbuck, politics reporter, KUNR; Joshua Leavitt, CEO and founder, Tech Alley; Bradley Johnson, assistant professor of public administration, University of Nevada, Reno
