# Virginia Orders AI Cybersecurity Plan

On October 23, 2026, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued Executive Directive 6, ordering development of a statewide cybersecurity plan and establishing a Cyber Consortium. The consortium will coordinate state government, higher education, emergency management, and private-sector stakeholders on cyber risks involving AI systems and agents, including critical-infrastructure resilience and incident preparedness. The directive announces no contract, funding, solicitation, or implementation schedule, so it signals potential future demand rather than an active procurement.

- The plan and consortium could create future needs for AI-risk assessment, cybersecurity planning, threat analysis, incident preparedness, and critical-infrastructure security support.
- Contractors should distinguish the directive from a current solicitation; no contract opportunity, budget, procurement timeline, or procurement contact is identified.
- Organizations with relevant capabilities can assess how their services align with the directive’s stated focus areas and follow the plan and consortium activity for concrete requirements.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Public Safety
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 25, 2026

### Government Entities
- Commonwealth of Virginia
- Virginia Office of the Governor
- Virginia Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security

### Key Quotes
> As AI development advances, governments need to prepare not only for the cybersecurity risks we face today but also for the risks that will emerge as these systems become more capable.
> — Sarah Cen, machine learning professor at Carnegie Mellon University

> The federal government needs to play a much larger role in regulating this emerging technology to ensure its safe development and the protection of people and their livelihoods.
> — Abigail Spanberger, Governor of Virginia

### Sources
- [Virginia governor orders new cybersecurity plan to address artificial intelligence risks | brief | SC Media](https://www.scworld.com/brief/virginia-governor-orders-new-cybersecurity-plan-to-address-artificial-intelligence-risks) - SC Media
- [Spanberger signs directive concerning cybersecurity, AI risks | News | cbs19news.com](https://www.cbs19news.com/news/spanberger-signs-directive-concerning-cybersecurity-ai-risks/article_9d899411-c10b-4d74-8ce5-e78371721310.html) - cbs19news.com
- [Virginia governor orders statewide plan to address AI cyberattacks | StateScoop](https://statescoop.com/virginia-governor-orders-statewide-plan-to-address-ai-cyberattacks) - StateScoop