News-April-20-2026
April 20, 2026 — Daily digest of AI law and policy developments.
This digest consolidates 6 stories from April 13–20, 2026.
Contents
1. Alabama Governor Signs SB 63 Regulating AI in Health Insurance 2. Florida Governor Calls Special Session to Reconsider AI Bill of Rights 3. Maryland Sends Four AI Bills to Governor 4. Musk v. OpenAI Trial Begins April 27 5. UMG and Sony Hit Settlement Impasse with Suno 6. Missouri House Approves "Taylor Swift Act" Deepfake Bill
Alabama Governor Signs SB 63 Regulating AI in Health Insurance
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 63 into law on April 17, 2026, establishing regulations governing the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance coverage determinations. The legislation represents Alabama's entry into the growing number of states addressing AI deployment in healthcare decision-making.
The law imposes requirements on health insurers using AI systems to make or support decisions regarding coverage, prior authorization, and claims processing. As states across the country grapple with the implications of automated decision-making in healthcare, Alabama's approach focuses specifically on the insurance sector.
Key provisions include:
- Disclosure requirements for insurers utilizing AI in coverage determinations
- Standards for ensuring AI systems do not result in discriminatory outcomes
- Requirements for human oversight of AI-assisted decisions
- Provisions protecting consumers from adverse decisions made solely by automated systems
Alabama's legislation joins a broader movement of state-level healthcare AI regulation in 2026. Tennessee also enacted health care AI legislation containing a private right of action, while California's AB 2575 concerning AI use in health care advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 22.
The Alabama law reflects concerns about algorithmic bias in healthcare insurance decisions and the need for transparency when AI systems influence critical determinations about coverage and care. [1]
See full article: April 17, 2026 — Alabama Signs SB 63 on Healthcare AI
Florida Governor Calls Special Session to Reconsider AI Bill of Rights
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session on April 15, 2026 to reconsider the AI Bill of Rights (CS/SB 482), which passed the Senate 35-2 in the regular session but died in the House. The special session, scheduled for April 28 through May 1, 2026, will also address congressional redistricting and medical freedom legislation.
The AI Bill of Rights would require parental consent for minor chatbot accounts, restrict government AI contracts with non-compliant entities, and establish consumer transparency requirements for AI systems. Senate President Pro Tempore Brodeur plans to file identical legislation to CS/SB 482 for debate during the special session.
DeSantis emphasized that the legislation is needed to protect Floridians—especially minors—from AI harms by large technology companies. [2][3]
See full article: April 15, 2026 — Florida Special Session on AI Bill of Rights
Maryland Sends Four AI Bills to Governor
Maryland lawmakers adjourned their 2026 legislative session on April 13 after sending four AI-related bills to Governor Wes Moore for signature. As of April 26, 2026, none of the four bills have been signed by the governor. Governor Moore held his first 2026 bill signing ceremony on April 14, but the AI bills were not included. Maryland has a 30-day window for gubernatorial action following adjournment.
HB 895: AI Dynamic Pricing — Would prohibit food retailers and third-party delivery services from using consumer personal data to set prices for goods or services. Passed House March 21, Senate April 10, in concurrence April 11.
SB 8: Deepfake Protection — Addresses use of AI to create non-consensual synthetic media. Passed Senate 45-0 March 19, approved by House April 10.
SB 720: AI in Education — Requires Maryland State Department of Education to provide guidance on AI to local school systems. Passed Senate March 20, House April 13.
SB 141: Deepfakes in Political Campaigns — Prohibits distribution of deceptive synthetic media in election contexts. Approved 44-0 by Senate February 12, by House April 10.
Maryland's four AI bills reflect a broader trend in state legislatures in 2026, joining Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Utah in enacting or advancing AI legislation. [4]
See full article: April 13, 2026 — Maryland Sends Four AI Bills to Governor
Musk v. OpenAI Trial Begins April 27
Musk v. OpenAI — the landmark lawsuit in which Elon Musk alleges that OpenAI cofounders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman breached a charitable trust by abandoning OpenAI's nonprofit mission — begins on April 27, 2026, with advisory jury selection for a bench trial, in federal court in Oakland, California, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Musk dropped his fraud claims on April 24–25, 2026, narrowing the case from 26 claims to two: breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment. The trial represents one of the most significant corporate governance disputes in AI industry history, with implications for how AI companies structure their operations and manage founder relationships.
The case centers on Musk's allegations that he invested $38 million under the condition that OpenAI remain a nonprofit, and that the subsequent conversion to a capped-profit structure violated the original charitable purpose. [5][6]
See full article: April 27, 2026 — Musk v. OpenAI Trial Begins
UMG and Sony Hit Settlement Impasse with Suno
Universal Music Group and Sony Music have hit a settlement impasse with AI music startup Suno, Inc., as their copyright infringement lawsuit continues in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts while Warner Music's landmark deal with Suno reshapes the AI music licensing landscape.
UMG, Sony, and Warner sued Suno on June 24, 2024, alleging the AI company trained its music generation models on copyrighted sound recordings without authorization. Warner settled with Suno in November 2025, becoming the first major label to transition from litigation to partnership.
As of April 2026, settlement talks between UMG/Sony and Suno have stalled over disagreements on fees and equity terms. Key sticking points include licensing fees, equity stake valuation, and scope of license terms governing Suno's continued use of UMG/Sony catalogs.
On April 6, 2026, a U.S. Magistrate Judge issued an order on multiple discovery disputes, and on April 23, 2026, the parties submitted dueling letter briefs addressing DMCA claims in the related Udio case. [7][8]
See full article: April 2026 — UMG and Sony Hit Settlement Impasse with Suno
Missouri House Approves "Taylor Swift Act" Deepfake Bill
Missouri House Bill 1887, dubbed the Taylor Swift Act, creates civil and criminal penalties for non-consensual disclosure of intimate or underage digital depictions, including AI-generated deepfakes. The perfected version expands the bill to broader AI regulations, social media age verification, and AI misuse prohibitions. The Missouri House of Representatives approved the bill on April 20, 2026, and it now advances to the Missouri Senate.
Key provisions:
- Civil Cause of Action: Targets non-consensual disclosure of digital depictions of individuals under 18 and intimate digital depictions (nudity or sexual acts, whether real or AI-generated)
- Criminal Offense: Class A misdemeanor for first offense, class E felony for subsequent offenses. AI-generated deepfakes explicitly covered.
- Social Media Age Verification: Adds provisions for age verification and prohibiting AI use for harassment
Missouri's Taylor Swift Act is one of the most comprehensive deepfake protection bills advancing in 2026, combining criminal penalties with civil remedies and explicitly covering AI-generated depictions. [9][10]
See full article: April 20, 2026 — Missouri House Approves Taylor Swift Act
References
- ↑ AI Legislative Update - Transparency Coalition, April 24, 2026
- ↑ Florida Senate: Special Session Memo, April 15, 2026
- ↑ Special Session Proclamation Amendment, April 15, 2026
- ↑ Transparency Coalition, "AI Legislative Update — April 24, 2026"
- ↑ ChatGPT is Eating the World, "The Trial of the Century: Elon Musk v. Sam Altman Starts Monday, April 27, 2026," January 17, 2026
- ↑ Business Insider, "Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman: The stakes for OpenAI and Microsoft as the lawsuit goes to trial," April 2026
- ↑ Digital Music News: Suno and Universal Hit Settlement Impasse Over Fees and Equity
- ↑ Digital Music News: Suno and Universal Music Lawsuit — Latest Updates
- ↑ Missouri House of Representatives: HB 1887 Perfected Bill Summary
- ↑ Transparency Coalition, "AI Legislative Update," April 24, 2026