AI law and policy
48 of the 86 instruments indexed here are binding law, and 10 of those name AI in their own title. The remainder apply to AI without mentioning it. Every entry is tagged by how binding it is and links to its primary source. The same records are also available by year.
Indexed jurisdictions
Ordered by how much Binding instrument A law, regulation or other instrument that creates legal obligations. Distinguished on this site from guidance, standards and voluntary commitments, which are recorded separately. Glossary entry AI-specific law is in force, most first. The European Union is indexed once at bloc level, covering all 27 member states.
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European Union
8 instruments, 6 of them binding law, 2 of those naming AI.
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South Korea
4 instruments, 3 of them binding law, 2 of those naming AI.
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China
7 instruments, 7 of them binding law, 2 of those naming AI.
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United States
10 instruments, 6 of them binding law, 2 of those naming AI.
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Japan
4 instruments, 3 of them binding law, 1 of those naming AI.
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United Kingdom
7 instruments, 4 of them binding law, 0 of those naming AI.
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Canada
5 instruments, 1 of them binding law, 0 of those naming AI.
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Brazil
4 instruments, 3 of them binding law, 0 of those naming AI.
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Australia
28 instruments, 11 of them binding law, 1 of those naming AI.
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India
4 instruments, 3 of them binding law, 0 of those naming AI.
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Singapore
5 instruments, 1 of them binding law, 0 of those naming AI.
Not legal advice, not a compliance checklist and not exhaustive. It is a map of where to start reading. Statuses and commencement dates go stale, and every record carries the date it was reviewed.
What each jurisdiction has
Indexed instruments by how binding each one is.
| Jurisdiction | Binding law | Binds government | Regulator guidance | Voluntary | Proposed or in review | Total | Readiness, of 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| South Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| China | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| United States | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| Canada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Brazil | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Australia | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 6 |
| India | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Singapore | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
Counts are of what this index lists, not of what exists. Australia's total is larger than the others because it was indexed first and in more depth, which is a fact about the index rather than about Australian law. Read the columns against each other within a row rather than the totals across rows. AI Law and Policy Index This site Our own reading of primary instruments, with a link to each. Not legal advice, not a compliance checklist and not exhaustive. Instruments that never mention AI are included where they apply to it, which is most of the Australian list. Statuses and commencement dates go stale; every record carries its review date. Cite AI Safety Tracker, "AI Law and Policy Index". https://aisafetytracker.org/policy/. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
Scored but not yet indexed
21 further jurisdictions have a Governance readiness A score compiled here from primary instruments, recording the machinery a jurisdiction has for governing AI. It records presence, not quality or enforcement. Glossary entry score and the instruments it was coded from, which is a thinner record than a full index and is sourced the same way.
| Jurisdiction | Readiness, of 10 | Relative readiness |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 7 | |
| Russia | 5 | |
| Norway | 4 | |
| Switzerland | 4 | |
| Thailand | 4 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 | |
| Argentina | 3 | |
| Chile | 3 | |
| Colombia | 3 | |
| Egypt | 3 | |
| Indonesia | 3 | |
| Israel | 3 | |
| Kenya | 3 | |
| Malaysia | 3 | |
| Mexico | 3 | |
| New Zealand | 3 | |
| Nigeria | 3 | |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | |
| South Africa | 3 | |
| Turkey | 3 | |
| Ukraine | 3 |
Readiness measures how much governance machinery exists, not how strict it is. The scoring rubric and every jurisdiction's cited instruments are on the rubric page. The 27 EU member states are scored once at bloc level and are not listed here. 28 economies hold all 10 points: the 27 EU member states, through the AI Act, and South Korea. The index does not rank them against each other. AI Governance Readiness Index This site Our own editorial coding from primary legal sources, not an objective measurement. Every score cites a specific instrument and article. "Readiness" means the machinery exists to govern AI. It is emphatically not a judgement that the resulting rules are good, proportionate, or well enforced. Cite AI Safety Tracker, "AI Governance Readiness Index". https://aisafetytracker.org/methodology/governance-readiness/. Retrieved 23 October 2026.