Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday ordered the state to develop new safety standards for buying and using the most advanced artificial-intelligence systems, putting procurement rules at the center of the state’s response to rapidly changing AI capabilities.

Executive Order 26-26 directs Oregon’s chief information officer to propose implementation standards within 90 days. The order took effect immediately and requires the governor to reassess it every three months.

The action is narrower than a general regulation of AI companies. It governs how Oregon’s executive branch evaluates frontier models before agencies procure or deploy them. According to the governor’s announcement, the CIO must develop criteria for adequate independent safety review and examine whether a “kill switch” requirement would be viable. The order does not itself impose such a switch, define a technical standard for one or ban any model.

An official copy of the order and an accompanying FAQ provide the framework the CIO will now have to translate into vendor and agency requirements.

Oregon already had a broader foundation for government AI governance. The state’s AI Advisory Council, created by a 2023 executive order, delivered its final recommended action plan in February 2025. The governor’s office said that plan called for governance and security frameworks, technical reference architecture, privacy protections and workforce preparation. The 2025 announcement described it as guidance for responsible use across state government rather than a licensing system for private companies.

For agencies, the practical impact will depend on the CIO’s proposal. Third-party review standards could affect what evidence vendors must provide before a contract is approved, while any shutdown mechanism would raise questions about who can invoke it, under what conditions and how essential services would continue. Those details remain unresolved.

Kotek framed the order as an interim state response while Congress and the Oregon Legislature consider broader rules. Her statement criticized the federal government’s approach; by contrast, the White House’s national AI plan emphasizes faster innovation, infrastructure and international competition while also calling for protections against misuse.

The next concrete deadline is late December, when the state CIO’s implementation proposal is due. Until then, the order changes Oregon’s policy direction but does not yet establish the final procurement tests agencies or vendors will have to meet.