Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday the formation of a new AI and Consumer Privacy Task Force within the Attorney General’s office, tasked with developing policy recommendations for regulating artificial intelligence applications that affect Ohio consumers and businesses. The task force marks Ohio’s first formal government body dedicated specifically to the intersection of AI and consumer rights.
The 15-member panel includes technology law experts, consumer advocates, representatives from Ohio’s business community, data privacy specialists, and two members appointed by the Ohio Governor’s office. The group will hold public hearings across the state over the next six months before submitting a final report with legislative and regulatory recommendations to the General Assembly by August 2026.
Yost said the formation of the task force reflects the rapid pace of AI adoption in Ohio’s economy and the growing number of consumer complaints his office has received regarding AI-related issues. “Artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses operate and how Ohioans interact with the marketplace,” Yost said. “Our job is to make sure that transformation doesn’t come at the expense of consumer rights, privacy, or fairness.”
Among the areas the task force will examine are the use of AI in employment screening and hiring decisions, algorithmic pricing practices in housing and insurance markets, AI-generated content and fraud, data collection by AI-powered consumer applications, and the adequacy of existing Ohio consumer protection statutes to address AI-related harms.
Tech industry representatives welcomed the task force while emphasizing the importance of a regulatory approach that does not stifle innovation. The Ohio Technology Association noted that Ohio is home to over 9,000 technology companies employing more than 400,000 workers, and that AI is increasingly central to the competitive position of those firms. “We want to work constructively with the Attorney General to develop rules that protect consumers without hobbling innovation,” said OTA President Matt Abbot.
Civil liberties groups including the ACLU of Ohio and the Ohio Digital Rights Coalition said the task force was a step in the right direction but expressed concern about whether its membership adequately represented communities most likely to be harmed by algorithmic bias — particularly Black, Latino, and low-income Ohioans. They called on the task force to include community advocates with lived experience navigating AI-influenced systems.
The task force’s first public hearing is scheduled for February 18 in Columbus, with additional hearings planned in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and a rural location to be announced. Written public comments can be submitted beginning immediately at the Ohio Attorney General’s website.
