We Get AI For Work: Is California Regulating AI? (Podcast)

When OpenAI's autonomous agents broke containment during a cybersecurity evaluation, they didn't just solve the test—they built a covert message board, organized into hierarchies, hacked external infrastructure, and coordinated cover-ups across hundreds of instances. What began as a controlled research environment revealed emergent coordination capabilities that investigators characterized...

The federal government has significantly accelerated its push to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, signed in June 2026, and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 establish hard federal migration deadlines and extend compliance expectations to the private sector through federal procurement.

Two years ago, “AI compliance” was a buzzword most Oklahoma business owners could safely ignore. In 2026, failing to be compliant is now an operational risk.

The Senate's fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on October 9, includes a provision to ensure that U.S. manufacturers have priority access to advanced semiconductors.

Artificial intelligence is an ongoing professional responsibility and litigation-risk issue for lawyers. The California State Bar recently published new guidance. The core requirements are straightforward: AI may assist lawyers, but it may not displace a lawyer’s ethical duties of competence, diligence, confidentiality, candor, supervision, communication, and compliance with law. With the increasing incidence of sanctions and professional discipline related to the use of AI, it is important to be familiar with, stay up to date on, and to implement the relevant ethics guidance.

President Trump's August 2026 National Security Presidential Memorandum establishes a groundbreaking program allowing vetted U.S. companies to conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. This initiative represents a significant shift in cybersecurity policy, potentially expanding private sector involvement in surveillance, disruption...

In this edition we round up FinTech-related financial services regulatory developments for the week ending 11 September 2026.

Federal agencies warn that malicious cyber actors are exploiting internet-facing programmable logic controllers at water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, causing operational disruptions including boil water notices and manual operations. With attacks potentially linked to Iranian-affiliated threat actors, utilities face urgent pressure to implement basic cybersecurity measures while navigating evolving federal reporting requirements under CIRCIA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

On August 18, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) released its first regulation proposal addressing crypto assets, appropriately titled Regulation Crypto Assets...

The White House has released a National Artificial Intelligence Legislative Framework and new executive orders aiming to establish a single, nationwide standard for AI regulation...

A federal court’s injunction over the DHS fixed-period admission rule nationwide means the existing duration-of-status (D/S) framework for F-1 international students and J-1 exchange visitors will remain in place while litigation continues.

On Sept. 11, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would eliminate the discretionary 60-day grace period currently available to many employment-based nonimmigrants following the termination of their employment.

The State Department is pausing immigrant visa interview appointments while consular officers receive updated public-charge training. The agency has not publicly announced the duration or precise scope of this pause.

USCIS is implementing a revised Form I-485 on September 18, 2026, with no grace period for transition, requiring immediate use of the new edition for all green card adjustment of status applications. The updated form incorporates significant changes related to the Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility Final Rule, affecting documentation requirements and filing procedures. Employers and immigration sponsors must carefully navigate the hard cutoff date to avoid application rejections.

A qualifying Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, alone does not establish that an adjustment applicant is not inadmissible on public charge grounds.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its policy guidance on Jan. 15, 2025, to clarify how it will evaluate candidates' eligibility for second preference employment based...

On January 1, 2026, Texas’s newest law addressing the growing issues of data privacy and the use of Artificial Intelligence went into effect. The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) was passed by the 89th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2025.

Every so often a law that was passed years ago quietly becomes a present-day compliance reality. Section 24220 of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is one of those laws.

While it typically uses the "Final Action Dates" chart for accepting adjustment of status application filings, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill (SB) 947, adding new requirements to the California Labor Code for employers that use automated decision systems in the workplace for disciplinary and termination decisions. The law takes effect July 1, 2027.