Ohio's AI Regulatory Stalemate: Bills Proposed, None Passed

Ohio has no artificial intelligence regulations, even as deepfakes proliferate through political campaigns and explicit content floods online platforms. State leaders acknowledge the problem exists, but bills designed to address it have remained stuck in committee limbo.

The situation became starkly visible during recent election cycles. A conservative political action committee called Ohio Flyer PAC posted a video featuring former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown at a birthday party refusing to leave, with text reading "THE PARTY'S OVER, SHERROD." No disclosure indicated the video was AI-generated. In another primary battle, candidate Craig Reidel distributed a mailer containing an AI-generated photo of state Rep. Jim Hoops with drag queens, plus a doctored animation showing Hoops dunking on a teen girl during basketball. Neither included disclaimers. Reidel won the nomination.

According to News 5 Cleveland WEWS, Ohio lawmakers have introduced multiple bills to address these gaps. House Bill 185 would grant individuals ownership of their image and classify malicious content production without consent as trademark infringement, carrying civil penalties of tens of thousands of dollars. House Bill 524 would establish penalties for developers whose AI models generate content encouraging self-harm or violence, with the state able to impose civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation.

More severe criminal provisions exist for child safety. Senate Bill 163 and House Bill 786 would prohibit AI-created child sexual abuse material, making creation, transmission, and possession criminal offenses. S.B. 163 would classify it as a third-degree felony, while H.B. 786 could result in a second-degree felony with up to eight years in prison and $15,000 in fines. President Donald Trump signed federal legislation last year criminalizing AI-generated CSAM, and in April, a Columbus man became the first in the country convicted of creating this material, per the Department of Justice.

Governor Mike DeWine advocated for state provisions in his March State of the State Address. "Ohio law needs real consequences," DeWine said. "The Ohio attorney general and county prosecutors must have clear legal tools to hold these tech companies criminally and civilly accountable."

Despite little public opposition, each bill has stalled. When asked why nothing has moved, House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) offered a response that reveals the core tension. "Technology can be confusing," he said. "It's difficult for folks... to wrap our heads exactly around what it is that we can do to do this, or to effect good change."

Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) expressed support for certain AI regulations, particularly regarding pornographic material. "I'm in favor of passing something that would address those issues, really make it illegal and put it on par with peddling other forms of obscene materials and child pornography," McColley told reporters. But he noted the committee process needs to play out, adding, "I'm sure they have their reasons for taking time on these bills, and hopefully we'll wind up somewhere here very shortly or before the end of the year."

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio voiced concern about handling artificial intelligence correctly and safely. "I think we have to do our homework, and I don't wanna see us just making knee-jerk responses and reactions to policy making without really doing a deep dive in what should this look like," Antonio said. She emphasized that public safety concerns are important to "get in front of," but the legislation needs to be done right. "We're at the beginning of having these kinds of conversations and trying to understand the depth and breadth of what we can even do."

House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) hammered that point home. "We have to protect our communities and regulate this new technology in a responsible way," Isaacsohn said. "It should come from the federal government, but no one believes that they're going to do anything positive."

The federal preemption argument carries significant weight. Huffman brought up legal concerns, noting the federal government has "far overreached" since 1803, when Ohio became the 17th state. "A state regulation of AI, that's not just going to be within the state of Ohio," Huffman said, noting the feds typically rely on the Commerce Clause to stop statewide statutes impacting businesses.

Trump signed an executive order last year that punishes states that create their own AI regulations. "My Administration must act with the Congress to ensure that there is a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant State ones," the White House executive order's press release states. This creates a regulatory catch-22: states want to act, but federal policy discourages it (which is ironic, given the administration's stated goals).

The physical reality of this regulatory gap is visible in how voters consume information. Political ads are required to come with disclaimers about who paid for them. But deepfakes — AI-generated pictures and videos — aren't outlawed. Voters scrolling through social media or opening mailers cannot distinguish between authentic and synthetic content without explicit labeling. The friction of verification falls entirely on the recipient, not the creator.

News 5 Cleveland itself has navigated this landscape carefully. The station announced an AI policy change, disclosing when broadcast scripts are converted to articles using an AI agent built by parent company Scripps. Each article is based on interviews, research, and facts reported by journalists on television, with the reformatted script reviewed by reporters and digital staff. The tool is optional and doesn't replace newsroom efforts.

Ohio's situation mirrors a broader national pattern. States face the same technical complexity, legal uncertainty, and federal preemption concerns. The difference is that some states have moved faster than others. Ohio's approach — cautious, committee-bound, and legally cautious — reflects a state legislature that prioritizes avoiding mistakes over solving problems quickly.

Whether voters actually care enough to demand action remains the real question. The bills exist, the examples of misuse are documented, and the legislative leaders acknowledge the need. But without public pressure or federal clarity, the status quo persists. Deepfakes will continue circulating through campaigns, and the burden of verification will remain with whoever opens the email or clicks the link.

Artūras Malašauskas is an AI Systems Integrator with 20+ years of production-grade web engineering experience. He has designed, shipped, and scaled enterprise Python/PHP systems for logistics, SaaS, and public-sector clients. For the past year, he has focused exclusively on AI integrations: deploying open-source LLMs, building generative media pipelines (image, audio, video), and engineering multi-agent workflows for real production environments. His standard: reproducibility, security, cost-efficient inference—no vaporware. He documents and evaluates emerging AI tooling, separating verified capabilities from marketing noise. Technical editor at: muza-ai.eu, ai-verslas.lt, ai-naujinos.lt Connect on LinkedIn