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Law / United States / Rhode Island

Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Mental Health Care Act

R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 40.1-5.5-1 to 40.1-5.5-6 (H 7349, Substitute A, 2026 Regular Session)

A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.

Commencement not set.

An AI sector rules rule binding public and private bodies.

As of 6 September 2026.

What it requires

  • Do not offer therapy or psychotherapy services to the public in Rhode Island, including through internet-based AI, unless a state-licensed professional or provider conducts them.
  • If you are a licensed provider, use AI only for administrative or supplementary support with reasonable clinical oversight; never let it make independent therapeutic decisions, conduct therapeutic communication directly with a client absent an established provider relationship, or determine treatment plans.
  • Where an AI companion or emotional-support tool assists with a recorded or transcribed therapy session, tell the patient (or their representative) in writing what the tool is for and obtain their consent before using it.

If you get it wrong

Criminal exposureNo

Private right of actionNo

What this law does

Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.

This act bars any individual, corporation, or entity from offering therapy or psychotherapy services in Rhode Island, including through internet-based AI, unless the services are conducted by a state-licensed professional or provider.

A licensed provider may use AI only for administrative or supplementary support (scheduling, billing, records, drafting logistics communications, tracking client progress subject to professional review), and never to make independent therapeutic decisions, conduct therapeutic communication directly with a client without an established provider relationship, or determine treatment plans.

Where a client's session is recorded or transcribed and an AI system simulating emotional attachment or bonding assists with supplementary support or therapeutic communication, the patient or their representative must be informed in writing and consent. The act's own text states it takes effect upon passage.

Contemporaneous Rhode Island state-policy reporting (Rhode Island Current, Route Fifty) describes the act as signed by Governor Dan McKee in June 2026, but the exact signing date and session-law chapter number are not confirmed in a primary session-law record.

When LexLint raises it

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  • high_risk_decisions

Read the law

House Substitute A bill text, Rhode Island General Assembly (webserver.rilegislature.gov)
reported signed into law by contemporaneous Rhode Island state-policy journalism, not independently confirmed against an enrolled act or session-law chapter

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