Montana · Senate Bill · 69th Legislature 2025
SB452
Montana SB 452 — An Act Revising Laws Related to Artificial Intelligence; Requiring Disclosures of the Use of Artificial Intelligence by Manufacturers of Online Media; Requiring Artificial Intelligence Markers; Excluding Government Entities; and Providing Definitions

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood N/A

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 2 REQUIREMENT TYPES

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
No enforcement mechanism is specified in the bill. The bill is intended to be codified in Title 30 (Trade and Commerce), and general Title 30 enforcement provisions would presumably apply.
Private Right of Action
No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.
Penalties
The bill specifies no penalties, damages, or remedies. It is intended to be codified in Title 30, which may supply general enforcement provisions.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
Section 1
Artificial intelligence disclosures for manufacturers of online media
DeployerPublisher

(1) 1 Manufacturers of publicly distributed online media in the state that use an artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.Section 1(4)(a) system to direct, control, or focus the information any one individual can see, whether entirely or in part, shall disclose the use of the system and provide a user with the option to opt out.

(2) 2 Any publicly distributed online media generated in whole or in part by artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.Section 1(4)(a) must contain identifiable markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) that alert users to the use of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.Section 1(4)(a), as well as embedded markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) that allow identification of the use of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.Section 1(4)(a) should the original identifiable markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) be deleted.

(3) This section does not apply to a governmental entity, as defined in 2-17-551.

(4)(a) "Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.Section 1(4)(a)" means computer systems or algorithms that can imitate human behavior and control the flow of information or data by generating written or verbal material.

(4)(b) "MarkersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b)" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.

Section 1 is the bill's sole operative section, imposing two distinct obligations on manufacturers of publicly distributed online media. Subsection (1) requires disclosure of AI use in content curation and an opt-out mechanism. Subsection (2) requires both human-perceptible and embedded machine-readable markers on AI-generated content. Subsection (3) carves out governmental entities. Subsection (4) provides definitions for artificial intelligence and markers.

The bill does not formally define "manufacturers of publicly distributed online media," leaving the scope of the regulated entity class ambiguous. The AI definition is notably narrow — limited to systems that both imitate human behavior and control information flow by generating written or verbal material — potentially excluding image-generation, recommendation, and ranking systems that do not themselves generate written or verbal material.

Compliance actions 2 items
1
Manufacturers of publicly distributed online media that use an AI system to direct, control, or focus the information any individual can see must (1) disclose the use of the AI system to the user and (2) provide the user with the option to opt out of AI-directed content curation.
T-01.1
2
Any publicly distributed online media generated in whole or in part by AI must contain (1) identifiable markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) that alert users to the use of AI, and (2) embedded markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) that allow identification of AI use even if the original identifiable markersMarkers"Markers" means an explicit visual or audio disclosure, including but not limited to a mark, symbol, audio flaw, content label, watermark, byline, disclosure field, acknowledgment, disclaimer, or warning.Section 1(4)(b) are deleted.
T-02.1
Section 2
Codification instruction

[Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 30, and the provisions of Title 30 apply to [section 1].

Section 2 is a codification instruction directing that Section 1 be codified as part of Title 30 (Trade and Commerce) of the Montana Code Annotated. This is a legislative housekeeping provision that creates no independent compliance obligation but indicates that Title 30's general provisions — including any enforcement mechanisms — would apply.

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action (S) Died in Process

Legislative History

2024-08-28 (LC) Drafter Assigned
2025-02-18 (LC) Draft in Legal Review
2025-02-19 (LC) Draft in Edit
2025-02-21 (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
2025-02-22 (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
2025-02-22 (LC) Draft in Assembly
2025-02-23 (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
2025-02-24 (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
2025-02-24 (S) Introduced
2025-02-24 (S) Referred to Committee (S) Energy, Technology & Federal Relations
2025-02-25 (S) First Reading
2025-02-28 (S) Hearing (S) Energy, Technology & Federal Relations
2025-03-01 (S) Tabled in Committee (S) Energy, Technology & Federal Relations
2025-03-12 (S) Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal
2025-05-23 (S) Died in Process

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-19
AI generated