For several years, the punitive anti-innovation approach of California dominated state-level debates on Artificial Intelligence policy. Last year the tide started turning, with “Right to Compute” emerging as a more balanced alternative for preserving the benefits of AI innovation while protecting against the risks. Several states are considering Right to Compute laws in their 2026 legislative sessions. Michigan should do the same.

The Right to Compute is rooted in a simple principle: Lawful access to computing is not a privilege to be granted by the government but a natural extension of rights we already possess that should be protected by the government. Government regulation of artificial intelligence should be limited to what is necessary to protect the public.

Montana passed the first Right to Compute law in April 2025. The Montana law received strong bipartisan support, including unanimous approval in the state senate. The Montana law requires that new regulations for artificial intelligence be “demonstrably necessary and narrowly tailored to fulfill a compelling government interest in public health or safety.”

AI-intensive industries and developers know that when they operate in Montana, the state will protect their rights to innovate while requiring them to follow a short list of critical requirements for operating safely. Indeed, the Montana Right to Compute law contains two important regulatory requirements — that companies create “a shutdown mechanism allowing reversion to human control within a reasonable time,” and that companies conduct an annual risk-management review.

At least three additional states are moving forward with their own Right to Compute bills in 2026 — Ohio, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

Ohio’s bill was introduced in 2025 and carried over into 2026. The bill has had four committee hearings already. Nearly all speakers spoke in favor of the bill. The testimony against the bill focused on water usage by data centers but did not oppose the main concept of Right to Compute.

Abundance Institute Director of Public Policy Taylor Barkley, writing in the Columbus Dispatch, described how the Ohio Right to Compute bill focused on balancing risks and rewards of AI development.

“The Right to Compute Act is not a ‘hands-off’ approach to AI,” Barkely wrote. “It simply restores constitutional balance: The government must justify restrictions, not the other way around. Fraud, deception and harassment remain illegal, and critical-infrastructure systems must still follow recognized safety standards.”

In New Hampshire, HB 1124 has been the subject of one hearing to date. The bill sponsor had an AI tool provide testimony for what might be the first time in the country. Another group of legislators is separately seeking to advance an amendment to enshrine Right to Compute in the New Hampshire constitution.

South Carolina’s bill was introduced in January and has been referred to committee. It appears to be modeled on the Montana law, with similar protections and specific requirements for developers.

So far Michigan has given relatively little attention to AI regulation. Four bills have been introduced in the current session. None passed, and all take a California-like punitive approach by proposing restrictions on AI development. To the extent there has been discussion of artificial intelligence in Michigan, it has focused on data center zoning and resource usage issues, which can be addressed separately from Right to Compute issues.

States that adopt Right to Compute laws can position themselves to gain a critical competitive advantage over those that don’t. “Advanced manufacturing, AI research, biomedical innovation, energy optimization, and next-generation education tools all rely on access to affordable, scalable computing,” Abundance Institute Director of State Government Affairs Bryce Chinault testified in New Hampshire. “HB 1124 sends a clear signal to entrepreneurs, researchers, and employers: New Hampshire is open to builders.”

Michigan has an opportunity to get ahead of other states by adopting its own Right to Compute law. Artificial intelligence is a transformative technology, much like electricity or the internet when they emerged. It will define U.S. competitiveness, productivity, and prosperity for decades. With the right approach, artificial intelligence can expand manufacturing productivity, improve health and education, and create new economic opportunities for everyone in the state.

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