Governor Youngkin Launches First-in-the-Nation Agentic AI Regulatory Review

Earlier this month, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 51, launching a first-of-its-kind pilot program that uses agentic artificial intelligence to accelerate Virginia’s regulatory reduction efforts. The AI tool will scan the Commonwealth’s entire body of regulations and guidance documents, flagging statutory, identifying redundancies, and suggesting streamlined language to help state agencies build on the 25 percent cut goal set by Executive Directive 1 and Executive Order 19 in 2022.

That landmark directive launched the “Virginia Model” of regulatory modernization, an approach that agencies have since outpaced by streamlining 26.8 percent of regulatory requirements and cutting 47.9 percent of guidance-document text. Through this new initiative signed by Governor Youngkin, AI will supercharge the regulatory reduction process, allowing agencies to continue to modernize and streamline government to the greatest extent possible.
VIRGINIA MERCURY: Youngkin turns to AI to cut more red tape across Virginia Government

Days after declaring victory in his administration’s push to cut regulatory red tape by 25%, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is now looking to artificial intelligence to help push that number even higher. In an executive order issued Friday, Youngkin announced Virginia will launch the nation’s first “agentic AI” pilot program designed to streamline state regulations and guidance documents. The initiative will scan thousands of pages of agency rules using generative AI to identify redundancies, contradictions and overly complex language — all in the name of efficiency.

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY: Virginia to Use Agentic AI to Power Review of Regulations

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Friday that enables the state to use agentic AI for a regulatory reduction pilot program. Youngkin’s move is part of an increase in efficiency-focused initiatives at the state level, a growing number of which largely rely on new technologies such as AI. In Virginia, Executive Order 51 (2025) establishes a new pilot aiming to enhance governmental efficiency and build on previous work in this space with agentic AI. This also is not Youngkin’s first executive move to reduce regulations in the state, with previous efforts including Executive Directive 1 (2022) and Executive Order 19 (2022), which called for a 25 percent regulatory reduction. The state has exceeded that goal, with agencies streamlining 26.8 percent of regulatory requirements and eliminating 47.9 percent of the words in guidance documents.

WVEC: Gov. Youngkin signs executive order for first-in-the-nation AI regulatory audit

Dubbed the first of its kind at the state level, this pilot program is designed to identify redundant, outdated, or contradictory regulations and maximize efficiency across government operations. “AI has swept across the nation and our Commonwealth, energizing industries, empowering citizens, and rapidly advancing our way of life in unforeseen ways,” said Governor Youngkin. “Using emergent artificial intelligence tools, we will push this effort further in order to continue our mission of unleashing Virginia’s economy in a way that benefits all of its citizens.”

STATESCOOP: Agentic AI pilot to help Virginia cut, update state regulations

The initiative, which will make Virginia one of the first states to use both agentic and generative AI to streamline regulatory processes, follows another order Youngkin signed, in 2022, creating the state’s Office of Regulatory Management to streamline regulations and increase transparency to reduce regulatory burden on the public. The 2022 order set a goal of achieving a 25% cut in regulations, and Youngkin’s administration said it passed that goal this month. Virginia’s agentic AI will scan the state’s documented regulations and guidance, and identify ways it can be streamlined, a news release said. It will also flag contradictions in statute, identify redundancies and suggest updates to language.

WSLS: Governor Youngkin issues executive order launching agentic artificial intelligence empowered statewide regulatory review

According to the Governor’s Office, the new initiative will represent the first time that a government at the state level has used agentic, generative AI to streamline the regulatory process. It will use an AI tool to scan all of the regulations and guidance documents on the books and identify ways they can be streamlined. The tool will also flag any areas in which the regulation contradicts the statute, identify redundancies and highlight areas in which the regulatory language can be streamlined. “The Office of Transformation continues to look for ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our state government. We look forward to working with our Office of Regulatory Management to apply the power of AI to our regulatory environment,” said Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward.

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