Rhode Island: AI health laws
5 entries on the map: 4 in force and 1 enacted and not yet in force (main duties begin Jan 1, 2027).
Dates ahead
- Jan 1, 2027S 2195 Sub A as amended and H 7350 Sub A as amended, Artificial Intelligence Companion ModelsClinical decision and chatbot limits
Payer and utilization review AI
Insurers', benefit managers' and utilization reviewers' use of AI, including prior authorization and claim denials.
Insurance Bulletin 2024-03, Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems by Insurers
Expects insurers to develop, implement and maintain a written program for the responsible use of AI systems in regulated insurance practices that mitigates the risk of adverse consumer outcomes, with governance, internal accountability, controls for predictive models and standards for acquiring or relying on third-party data and AI systems.
Physician read. It places no duty on physicians. Since March 15, 2024, health insurers in Rhode Island are expected to govern AI systems used in decisions that affect patients and to answer the Department of Business Regulation's questions about them.
Notes: Signed by Superintendent of Insurance Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer. The NAIC's Aug. 31, 2026 map lists Bulletin 2024-03 as Rhode Island's adoption of the NAIC Model Bulletin; the bulletin follows the model's structure and cites the NAIC's 2020 AI Principles, but its text does not name the model bulletin. It sets no separate effective date, so the issue date is used. No later AI bulletin appears on the Department's 2024 to 2026 list.
Patient disclosure of AI use
Telling patients that AI is used in their care or in messages to them.
H 7538 Sub A, Use of Artificial Intelligence by Healthcare Providers Notification Act
Requires health care providers and facilities that use AI to document in-person or telehealth visits to notify patients that AI is used for that purpose and to review the AI-generated documentation for accuracy after the visit.
Physician read. Since June 22, 2026, a Rhode Island physician who uses AI to document an in-person or telehealth visit must tell the patient and must review the AI-generated documentation for accuracy after the visit. The text does not specify the form of the notice and does not require consent or set a penalty.
Notes: Adds chapter 106 to title 23 of the General Laws; the operative rule is section 23-106-3. The House passed the original bill April 16, 2026; the Senate passed a substitute June 11, 2026, the House concurred the same day, and the governor signed it June 22, 2026 per LegiScan. The act takes effect upon passage. The Substitute A text cited is taken to be the enacted version. 'Healthcare provider' covers physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered and licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants and other professionals licensed by the director; 'healthcare facility' uses the definition in section 23-17-2. A Senate companion was not identified, and the public law chapter number was not confirmed.
Also relevant here: S 2197 Sub A as amended and H 7349 Sub A, Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Mental Health Care Act (under mental health AI); S 2195 Sub A as amended and H 7350 Sub A as amended, Artificial Intelligence Companion Models (under clinical decision and chatbot limits).
Clinical decision and chatbot limits
Limits on AI in clinical decisions and on health chatbots, including AI presenting itself as a licensed professional.
S 2195 Sub A as amended and H 7350 Sub A as amended, Artificial Intelligence Companion Models
Requires AI companion operators to maintain protocols for user expressions of suicidal ideation, self-harm or harm to others that refer users to crisis services such as a suicide hotline or crisis text line, to tell users clearly at the start of an interaction and at least every three hours that they are not communicating with a human, and to report annually to the Attorney General on how often those protocols are triggered.
Physician read. From Jan. 1, 2027, AI companion apps used by Rhode Island patients must refer users who express suicidal ideation or self-harm to crisis services and remind them at least every three hours that they are not talking to a human. It places no duty on physicians.
Notes: Adds chapter 63 to title 6 of the General Laws. S 2195 passed the Senate May 21, 2026 and the House June 8, 2026; its House companion, H 7350, passed the House June 8 and the Senate in concurrence June 10, 2026; both were signed June 22, 2026 per LegiScan. The House companion's final text was not read. Annual reports to the Attorney General begin July 1, 2027, with aggregated data published on the Attorney General's website. The Attorney General may investigate, sue and seek injunctions; civil penalties reach $15,000 per day, directed to suicide prevention programs; the text states no private right of action. LegiScan's title and the bill's explanation also mention financial harm and notice that the companion does not have human emotions; the operative text covers suicidal ideation, self-harm and physical harm to others, and notice that the user is not communicating with a human. Public law chapter numbers were not confirmed.
Also relevant here: H 7538 Sub A, Use of Artificial Intelligence by Healthcare Providers Notification Act (under patient disclosure of AI use); S 2197 Sub A as amended and H 7349 Sub A, Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Mental Health Care Act (under mental health AI).
Mental health AI
AI in therapy and mental health care.
S 2197 Sub A as amended and H 7349 Sub A, Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Mental Health Care Act
Bars providing, advertising or offering therapy or psychotherapy to the public unless a licensed professional conducts it, limits licensed professionals' AI use to administrative and supplementary support under their oversight, bars AI from making independent therapeutic decisions, interacting with clients in therapeutic communication without an established relationship or determining treatment plans, and requires written notice of the AI's purpose and explicit written consent before AI is used in recorded or transcribed sessions.
Physician read. Since June 22, 2026, a Rhode Island clinician licensed to provide therapy or psychotherapy may use AI for scheduling, billing, records and similar support but not to make therapeutic decisions or set treatment plans, and must give written notice and obtain explicit written consent before using AI on a recorded or transcribed session. The act does not apply to AI tools reviewed and cleared by the FDA or another federal agency tasked with approving AI, or to religious counseling, peer support, public self-help materials or qualifying research.
Notes: Adds chapter 5.5 to title 40.1 of the General Laws. The act takes effect upon passage; both companion bills were signed June 22, 2026 per LegiScan. The definition of licensed professional or provider covers anyone licensed, credentialed or certified by the state to provide therapy or psychotherapy and does not exclude physicians in the text. A licensed professional may use AI only to the extent the use is a permitted use, meaning administrative or supplementary support in which the professional keeps responsibility for clinical judgment and reasonable therapeutic oversight. Consent must be an affirmative written agreement and cannot be obtained through general terms of service. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services investigates violations; confidentiality breaches are penalized under section 5-37.3-9. The House companion's final text (H 7349 Sub A) was not read; it passed the House June 8 and the Senate in concurrence June 10, 2026. Public law chapter numbers were not confirmed.
Also relevant here: S 2195 Sub A as amended and H 7350 Sub A as amended, Artificial Intelligence Companion Models (under clinical decision and chatbot limits).
Data and privacy
Health and consumer data, biometrics, and data used to train AI.
H 7787 Sub A as amended and S 2500 Sub A as amended, Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act
Gives consumers rights over their personal data, including opting out of targeted advertising, sale and profiling in furtherance of solely automated decisions, and bars controllers from processing sensitive data, including data revealing a mental or physical health condition or diagnosis, without the customer's consent.
Physician read. It places no duty on HIPAA covered entities or business associates, which are exempt. Since Jan. 1, 2026, other businesses above the thresholds, such as health and wellness apps outside HIPAA, need a Rhode Island customer's consent to process data revealing a health condition or diagnosis.
Notes: Codified as chapter 48.1 of title 6. The governor did not sign it: S 2500 became law without his signature on June 28, 2024 and H 7787 on June 29, 2024, per LegiScan, so the signed field is empty. The Attorney General has sole enforcement authority. No 2025 or 2026 amendment was confirmed.
Federal law also applies in every state: see federal law and policy.
Most recently checked Sept 29, 2026. General information, not legal advice. How the map works, and the data.