How States Are Using AI for Compliance Enforcement in 2026

Key Takeaways:

State AI compliance enforcement is expanding as regulators like Montana and Hawaii use artificial intelligence to flag campaign finance reports and conduct investigations, while other states remain cautious about implementation.
Montana’s AI enforcement system includes a dashboard that reviews filings and a chatbot that provides regulatory advice with citations, with plans to expand AI lobbying compliance tools for the 2027 legislative session.
Citizens and watchdogs are increasingly using AI to file complaints about campaign finance disclosures, but regulators report these AI-generated complaints often reference incorrect state requirements and create unnecessary work.
States exploring AI chatbot regulatory advice face challenges in building “closed systems” that only reference their own laws rather than pulling information from other jurisdictions or federal requirements.
The rise of state campaign finance AI tools means filers need to ensure accurate reporting since AI-flagged errors can lead to formal enforcement actions, reputational damage, and legal costs even when complaints are unfounded.

These days, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. From our social media feeds to our courtrooms, AI seems to be all over the place and the world of lobbying and campaign finance compliance is not immune to its effects. From states beginning to use AI in providing advice and conducting enforcement actions to citizens and watchdogs using it as a tool to review disclosures and flag errors in filings, AI is already here and impacting your compliance efforts.

AI Implementation Insights from the COGEL Conference

In December, MultiState attended the annual Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference and spoke with several states that are in the early stages of exploring the use of AI…

Source