United States of America: House Bill 148 was introduced to House of Delegates including definition of artificial intelligence for public procurement

On 14 January 2026, House Bill 148 was introduced to the Maryland House of Delegates to establish definitions for artificial intelligence within the state finance and procurement framework. The Bill defines artificial intelligence as a machine-based system capable of making predictions, recommendations, or decisions that influence real or virtual environments for a specific set of human-defined objectives. According to the legislation, these systems must use machine and human-based inputs to perceive environments, abstract those perceptions into models through automated analysis, and use model inference to formulate options for information or action. This statutory definition serves as the foundation for the broader regulatory framework governing how the state acquires and utilises automated technologies. The Bill integrates these definitions into the State Finance and Procurement Article (beginning with statute 3.5-801) to ensure consistency across government operations and delegated authority. The provisions relating to the definition and procurement standards for artificial intelligence within this Act are scheduled to enter into force on 1 October 2026.