This update highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in the second quarter of 2026 related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), and Internet of Things (“IoT”).
Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – Second Quarter 2026Autonomous Vehicles
Federal Vehicle Safety at Midyear: Regulatory Relief, Legislative Momentum, and the Road to the Broader AV Deployment
Executive Summary
2026 has been a dynamic year so far for federal regulation of automotive safety. Federal regulators have demonstrated a sustained commitment to regulatory reform and innovation, while simultaneously advancing efforts to facilitate the deployment of autonomous vehicles. Congress has also renewed its focus on vehicle safety and automation as lawmakers consider legislation that could significantly reshape the federal framework governing AVs and vehicle-safety regulation.
Although the path to a comprehensive federal framework for AVs remains uncertain, NHTSA and other agencies continue to pursue opportunities to advance a deregulatory agenda while promoting innovation. Efforts to pave the way for large-scale autonomous vehicle deployment are underway at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Congress is also paying attention to motor vehicle safety, with surface transportation reauthorization looming and numerous proposed bills that could provide a federal framework for AVs and reform NHTSA’s exemption process, long viewed as a roadblock for vehicle manufacturers.
The next year-and-a-half presents a window of uncommon opportunity for industry to help shape vehicle safety rules that deliver safety value without stifling innovation. These developments collectively suggest that industry stakeholders will continue to have meaningful opportunities to influence vehicle-safety policy through agency engagement, rulemaking participation, and legislative advocacy.
Continue Reading Federal Vehicle Safety at Midyear: Regulatory Relief, Legislative Momentum, and the Road to the Broader AV DeploymentCalifornia’s New AV Rules Open Door to Heavy-Duty Deployment While Imposing Significant New Compliance Obligations
California’s new autonomous vehicle regulations create the state’s first pathway for testing and deploying heavy-duty AVs while imposing a more rigorous permitting, safety-case, reporting, and enforcement framework for all AV manufacturers.
Finalized by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (the DMV) on April 28, 2026, the regulations (the Regulations) introduce significant new safety and oversight…
Continue Reading California’s New AV Rules Open Door to Heavy-Duty Deployment While Imposing Significant New Compliance ObligationsUN Regulation and GTR on Automated Driving Systems: Current State of Play
By Sam Jungyun Choi, Alan Kenny & Moritz Hüsch on
Posted in Autonomous Vehicles, Technology
International regulators are finalizing the first global safety standards for Automated Driving Systems (“ADS”). In January, the UN Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (“GRVA”) approved a draft UN Regulation (“UNR”) under the 1958 Agreement and a draft Global Technical Regulation (“GTR”) under the 1998 Agreement, submitting both for adoption by the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
Developed in parallel to ensure harmonized technical requirements across jurisdictions, the UNR and GTR are expected to be adopted at the 199th WP.29 session in June 2026. In the meantime, work continues on finalizing the accompanying Guidance and Interpretation Document. This post provides an overview of the UN regulatory framework, the legislative status of the ADS instruments as of May 2026, an outline of the key provisions, and implications for companies across the ADS value chain.
Continue Reading UN Regulation and GTR on Automated Driving Systems: Current State of PlayU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2026
This update highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in the first quarter of 2026 related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), and Internet of Things (“IoT”).
I. Federal AI Legislative Developments
In the first quarter, members of Congress introduced several AI bills related to nonconsensual images, chatbots, support for small businesses, and…
Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2026U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year Update
This update highlights key mid-year legislative and regulatory developments and builds on our first quarter update related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), Internet of Things (“IoT”), and cryptocurrencies and blockchain developments.
I. Federal AI Legislative Developments
In the first session of the 119th Congress, lawmakers rejected a proposed moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws and advanced several AI legislative proposals focused on deepfake-related harms. Specifically, on July 1, after weeks of negotiations, the Senate voted 99-1 to strike a proposed 10-year moratorium on state and local enforcement of AI laws from the budget reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which President Trump signed into law. The vote to strike the moratorium follows the collapse of an agreement on revised language that would have shortened the moratorium to 5 years and allowed states to enforce “generally applicable laws,” including child online safety, digital replica, and CSAM laws, that do not have an “undue or disproportionate effect” on AI. Congress could technically still consider the moratorium during this session, but the chances of that happening are low based on both the political atmosphere and the lack of a must-pass legislative vehicle in which it could be included. See our blog post on this topic for more information.
Additionally, lawmakers continue to focus legislation on deepfakes and intimate imagery. For example, on May 19, President Trump signed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (“TAKE IT DOWN”) Act (H.R. 633 / S. 146) into law, which requires online platforms to establish a notice and takedown process for nonconsensual intimate visual depictions, including certain depictions created using AI. See our blog post on this topic for more information. Meanwhile, members of Congress continued to pursue additional legislation to address deepfake-related harms, such as the STOP CSAM Act of 2025 (S. 1829 / H.R. 3921) and the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images And Non-Consensual Edits (“DEFIANCE”) Act (H.R. 3562 / S. 1837).
Continue Reading U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – 2025 Mid-Year UpdateTrump Administration Issues AI Action Plan and Series of AI Executive Orders
On July 23, the White House released its AI Action Plan, outlining the key priorities of the Trump Administration’s AI policy agenda. In parallel, President Trump signed three AI executive orders directing the Executive Branch to implement the AI Action Plan’s policies on “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government,” “Accelerating Federal Permitting of…
Continue Reading Trump Administration Issues AI Action Plan and Series of AI Executive OrdersFCC Seeks Public Input on Adding Connected Vehicle Technology to the Covered List
By Jennifer Johnson, Matthew Shapanka & Conor Kane on
Posted in Autonomous Vehicles, FCC
On Friday, May 23, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) released a Public Notice requesting public input on whether certain CAV-related communications equipment and services with connections to Russia and the People’s Republic of China should be added to the “Covered List” – a list maintained by the FCC of communications equipment and services found…
Continue Reading FCC Seeks Public Input on Adding Connected Vehicle Technology to the Covered ListCovington Robotics Forum Spotlight – Enhanced Autonomy: Strategies to Navigate New Regulations, Risks & Opportunities
On May 14, 2025, Covington convened experts across our practice groups for the Fourth Annual Covington Robotics Forum to explore the legal and regulatory risks and opportunities impacting robotics, AI, and connected devices. Eight Covington attorneys discussed global forecasts relevant to these spaces in a highly concentrated 90-minute session, culminating in an Industry Spotlight moderated…
Continue Reading Covington Robotics Forum Spotlight – Enhanced Autonomy: Strategies to Navigate New Regulations, Risks & OpportunitiesU.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update – First Quarter 2025
This quarterly update highlights key legislative, regulatory, and litigation developments in the first quarter of 2025 related to artificial intelligence (“AI”), connected and automated vehicles (“CAVs”), and cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
I. Artificial Intelligence
A. Federal Legislative Developments
In the first quarter, members of Congress introduced several AI bills addressing national security, including bills that would encourage the use of AI for border security and drug enforcement purposes. Other AI legislative proposes focused on workforce skills, international investment in critical industries, U.S. AI supply chain resilience, and AI-enabled fraud. Notably, members of Congress from both parties advanced legislation to regulate AI deepfakes and codify the National AI Research Resource, as discussed below.
- Deepfake Regulation: In February, the Senate passed the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (“TAKE IT DOWN”) Act (S. 146), following its unanimous passage by the Senate in 2024. The Act would prohibit the nonconsensual disclosure of AI-generated intimate imagery and require platforms to remove such content published on the platform. The House version of the TAKE IT DOWN Act (H.R. 633) has been referred to the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
- CREATE AI Act: In March, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) re-introduced the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (“CREATE AI”) Act (H.R. 2385), following its introduction and near passage in the Senate last year. The CREATE AI Act would codify the National AI Research Resource (“NAIRR”), with the goal of advancing AI development and innovation by offering AI computational resources, common datasets and repositories, educational tools and services, and AI testbeds to individuals, private entities, and federal agencies. The CREATE AI Act builds on the work of the NAIRR Task Force, established by the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, which issued a final report in January 2023 recommending the establishment of NAIRR.