What happened
Connecticut's Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency Act (CART Act, Public Act 26-15, SB 5), signed 2 June 2026, has its first tranche of binding obligations coming into force in the reporting window: from 1 October 2026 employers must provide written notice when AI is used in employment-status decisions, AI-affected layoffs trigger notice duties, and frontier-model whistleblower protections become active. AI-companion chatbot safety rules follow 1 January 2027 and automated-employment-tool provisions 1 October 2027. The Attorney General holds exclusive enforcement authority (as CUTPA violations) with a discretionary cure period through 31 December 2027.
Why it matters
Connecticut joins the vanguard of US state AI statutes now in force — imposing concrete disclosure duties on employers using automated employment decision tools and new self-harm-intervention protocol duties on AI chatbots serving children — with AG-only enforcement and no private right of action, a model other states are replicating.
Action needed
Employers operating in Connecticut should implement AI-in-employment written-notice processes and layoff-disclosure protocols by 1 October 2026; any AI-companion/chatbot provider serving Connecticut minors should prepare for the 1 January 2027 safety obligations.