This bill creates a new state program and related account by adding sections to chapter 43.330 RCW to establish the "Spark Act" grant program to promote economic development of innovative uses of artificial intelligence. It authorizes the department referenced in that chapter to solicit input from the state artificial intelligence task force through 2027, adopt rules, seek and accept federal funds, grants, gifts, and donations, deposit those receipts into a newly created Spark Act grant program account held by the state treasurer, and use account funds (including for administrative expenses) upon authorization by the department director. The department may award grants annually or more often, must prioritize applicants that commit to ethical AI use, have analyzed product risks, are small businesses, or propose statewide-impact projects, and may require that awarded technology be shared with the state to provide stated public benefits. The department may also identify relevant federal AI grants in its inventory of grant opportunities. The act also amends and clarifies provisions related to the artificial intelligence task force created in 2024: it sets task force membership and structure, permits in-person or remote meetings, authorizes an executive committee to convene subcommittees (each required to include at least one industry expert and one advocacy organization member representing communities disproportionately vulnerable to algorithmic bias), directs the attorney general’s office to administer and staff the task force and post subcommittee reports and meeting summaries within 30 days, and requires the executive committee to obtain subcommittee input at least annually to help the Department of Commerce identify Spark Act priorities. The task force duties specified include reviewing protections related to personhood and replicas of voice or likeness, reviewing AI tools used in employment decisions, proposing state guidelines for AI development, deployment, oversight, security testing for high-risk systems, data privacy, consumer transparency, and accountability, reviewing existing civil and criminal remedies for AI-related harms, and recommending whether an ongoing committee should study emerging technologies. The executive committee must meet first within 45 days of final appointments and at least twice a year; the task force must deliver reports on specified dates and the section expires June 30, 2027. Definitions for "artificial intelligence," "generative artificial intelligence," "machine learning," and "training data" are included, and the act may be cited as the "Spark Act." The bill primarily creates a new grant program and associated fiscal and administrative procedures and amends the existing 2024 task force provisions to expand duties and reporting requirements; it authorizes rulemaking and procedural steps but does not change criminal penalties or create new crimes. Important details are missing from the provided text: the specific department named in chapter 43.330 RCW in these excerpts is not identified here, the task force appointment process and full membership list are not fully shown, the chunked text cuts off mid-sentence in the task force recommendations so additional required findings or provisions may be omitted, and the bill excerpts do not include specific grant amounts, detailed eligibility criteria, application procedures, or appropriation details.

If enacted, the state would stand up a new grant program to pay for AI projects that offer clear public benefits (for example wildfire tracking, cybersecurity, or health advances), with funding coming from federal grants, gifts, and donations placed in a dedicated state account that can be spent for the program and its administration without a separate legislative appropriation. A state agency will run the program, solicit yearly input from an AI task force through 2027, prioritize small businesses and projects that commit to ethical AI and risk analysis, and require applicants to include technology they will share with the state; the task force and its subcommittees must meet and report on timelines set in the bill and the attorney general will staff and post meeting reports. The groups most affected are small businesses, startups, research institutions and companies that might seek these grants (they could gain new funding but will face conditions to analyze risks, adopt ethical practices, and share technology with the state, which may affect intellectual property and commercialization choices). State agencies—whichever department is designated, the attorney general’s office, and the state treasurer—take on new administrative duties and reporting tasks and will manage the new account. Key details that will affect real costs and burdens—such as which department exactly administers the program, how much money will be available, precise application and selection rules, and what “share with the state” means—are not provided in the extracted text.