AI State Laws Now Top 150 Around the Country
New York – October 19, 2026 – National law firm Wilson Elser, in partnership with Ankura Consulting Group, LLC and Privado AI, recently held an inaugural conference on privacy, security, and AI governance. The program focused on evolving privacy laws and security best practices, with artificial intelligence front and center as organizations navigate a growing patchwork of state AI laws.

“Convergence: The Intersection of Privacy, Security & AI Governance” was held September 30 at Wilson Elser’s New York offices, featuring speakers from Wilson Elser, Ankura, Privado AI, and several insurance carriers. JD Cheema, Founder of Privado AI, delivered a keynote on technology-enabled data discovery and AI governance. 

“Privacy, security, and AI governance are no longer separate conversations. Agentic AI, tightening regulation, and a more active enforcement environment have brought them into the same room,” said Jana Farmer, partner and cochair of Wilson Elser’s Data Use & AI Governance Practice. “At the moment, there is no comprehensive federal standard governing AI use in the United States.” 

“Instead, we’re seeing a rapidly growing patchwork of state laws and regulations,” said Farmer, noting that states including New York, California, Utah, Texas, and Colorado have passed more than 150 AI-related laws in the last year alone. “Given this landscape, businesses should plan for the possibility that some of the use cases of AI technology could become restricted after deployment, so that their AI investments hold up as the rules develop.” 
The program paired practitioner-level content with built-in opportunities to connect. Convergence was attended by general counsel, privacy and security leaders, cybersecurity and risk professionals, the insurance and carrier community, and outside advisors who serve them.

Conference panels included:

Navigating the Privacy and AI Landscape: From New Laws to the Courtroom
Panelists: Jana Slavina Farmer, AIGP, Wilson Elser; Nicole Nguyen, Senior Director, Privacy Engineering and Technology Practice, Ankura; JD Cheema, Privado; and Christina Van Wert, Senior Manager, Cyber & Professional Lines Group, Tokio Marine HCC. 

Topic: Privacy and AI regulation continues to develop on several fronts, and organizations are fielding attention from legislators, regulators, and plaintiffs alike. Through an interactive session, panelists traced the newest privacy and AI legislation, current enforcement priorities, and litigation trends, giving attendees a practical compliance walkthrough they can put to immediate use.

Cybersecurity and AI: Governing Agentic Systems
Panelists: Dominik Cvitanovic, Wilson Elser; John Schrader, Senior Managing Director, Cyber, Privacy & AI Security Practice, Ankura; Craig Linton, Head of U.S. Underwriting Management for Cyber Risks, Beazley; and Bridget Choi, Cyber Insurance Product Lead, Gallagher.

Topic: Agentic AI is reshaping how organizations operate, creating a new class of cybersecurity, contractual, and operational risk. Insurers and insureds alike are asking questions that cut across every industry deploying these systems. Using scenarios drawn from real-world deployments and cyber events, panelists gave attendees practical guidance on governing agentic AI before, during, and after an incident.

Cybersecurity Pitfalls and Avoiding the Wrath of Regulators
Panelists: Anjali Das, Wilson Elser; Nicole Nguyen, Senior Director, Privacy Engineering and Technology Practice, Ankura; John Schrader, Senior Managing Director, Cyber, Privacy & AI Security Practice, Ankura; and Cody Valdez (former Deputy AG, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office), now an attorney at Wilson Elser.

Topic: When a cybersecurity incident hits, regulators are rarely far behind, and they increasingly arrive from several directions at once. A single event can draw parallel scrutiny from the SEC, state financial regulators, health privacy enforcers, and state attorneys general, each with its own rules, deadlines, and enforcement posture. Drawing on recent investigations and enforcement actions, this panel mapped where organizations most often stumble and gave attendees a practical playbook for staying on the right side of the agencies that matter.

Implementing AI Across the Business: A Practical Guide to the Risks
Panelists: Jana Slavina Farmer, AIGP, Wilson Elser; Jonathan Meer, Wilson Elser; Scott Margolis, Managing Director, Data and Information Governance Practice, Ankura; Matthew McQueeny, AAANow.ai and Earnfluencing; and Rahmila Nadi, Women Leading AI

Topic: AI is changing how organizations operate, and the legal and operational risks reach well beyond any single department. No one-size-fits-all approach exists, but common themes cut across every business weighing how to adopt AI responsibly. Through scenarios drawn from situations businesses are navigating right now, panelists gave attendees practical, actionable guidance on the legal and business ramifications of putting AI to work.

About Wilson Elser’s Data Use & AI Governance Practice 
Wilson Elser is a trusted privacy, security, and AI governance firm in the United States and the preeminent defense litigation firm in the privacy and cyber class action space. For more information about the practice, go to: https://www.wilsonelser.com/data-use-ai-governance

About Wilson Elser
Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. Over more than four decades, our litigation and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently “parachuting in” to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients’ terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 94 in the Am Law 100 and 30 in the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500. For more information, go to www.wilsonelser.com

About Ankura, LLC 
Ankura is a leading global consulting and expert services advisory firm with a broad range of specialties across industries, including the cybersecurity, data privacy and governance, and artificial intelligence space. The firm combines strategic advisory with deep technical expertise, hands-on implementation, and expert support to address complex business challenges. Ankura has more than 35 locations and supports projects in more than 115 countries. For more information, go to https://ankura.com/

About Privado AI  
Privado AI is an agentic data privacy management platform that helps privacy and compliance teams automate manual governance workflows, map data flows, and detect consent-compliance violations at scale. Founded in 2020, the company leverages specialized AI agents to replace traditional, slow, questionnaire-based compliance methods. For more information, go to https://www.privado.ai/