Artificial intelligence crept into South Dakota lawmaking in 2026, prompting excitement — and concern – Mitchell Republic
Publish Date: 2026-04-03 16:41:00
Source Domain: www.mitchellrepublic.com
Here are six key points from the article:
– South Dakota state Rep. Al Novstrup discusses using AI-generated summaries, particularly Gemini, to support his arguments on bills including off-label prescription drug use.
– Multiple lawmakers from South Dakota, including Rep. Kent Roe, Sen. Amber Hulse, and Rep. John Hughes, admit to using generative AI tools like Grok to refine their bills and arguments.
– While AI tools can speed up research, lawmakers express some caution, noting that machine-generated content risks factual errors and “hallucinated sources.”
– John McCullough from the South Dakota Legislative Research Council cautions that no AI tool can fully replace human legal expertise at this point in time.
– Former Rep. R. Shawn Tornow worries that reliance on generative AI could decrease the rigor of legal research and writing.
– Despite these concerns, many lawmakers view AI as a helpful but not wholly reliable assistant in the law-making process, requiring human oversight to ensure accuracy.
