CONNECTICUT PASSES ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST SWEEPING AI LAWS Connecticut has become the seventh US state to pass comprehensive AI legislation, and the law it has put together is among the broadest attempted anywhere in the country. Senate Bill 5 passed the House 131 to 17, cleared the Senate 32 to 4, and is heading to Governor Ned Lamont for signature. The bill covers three major areas: AI companions, automated employment decisions, and synthetic content, with staggered effective dates running from October 2026 through January 2027. The synthetic content provisions require any generative AI provider with more than one million monthly users to embed machine-readable provenance data into every piece of audio, video, or image content their systems produce. That requirement takes effect October 1. The employment discrimination provisions, also effective October 1, hold automated hiring and screening tools accountable under existing state discrimination law. The AI companion rules go into effect January 1, 2027, and require safety protocols and heightened protections for minors interacting with AI chatbots. Operators who fail to implement safety restrictions face action from the Connecticut Attorney General. Most enforcement runs through the AG under the state unfair trade practices act. Private lawsuits are permitted only in cases involving minors. The White House has used funding mechanisms to pressure states away from writing their own AI rules. Connecticut passed its bill anyway by margins that suggest the political will to defend it in any preemption fight. Keywords: Connecticut AI law SB5, state AI regulation 2026, synthetic media provenance, AI employment law Connecticut