Commerce Committee chair emphasizes pro-business regulation, urges cautious approach to AI

The presiding chair of the Tennessee House Commerce Committee said the panel will prioritize removing unnecessary regulatory barriers for businesses while maintaining consumer protections.

The chair said the committee ims to "find those and get those out of the way" for businesses, and urged members to strike a balance between protecting consumers and avoiding regulations that hinder economic growth. "Our business climate and our economy is one of the reasons [people] are moving to Tennessee," the chair said.

On artificial intelligence, the chair urged caution. "We need to view AI as a tool in our tool chest," the chair said, adding, "If you use AI to commit fraud, we don't need another statute for it because fraud is already against the law." The chair said staff and legal counsel have discussed the issue with the attorney general's office and noted there may not be a need for broad new statutes at this time.

The chair also referenced last year's change to name, image and likeness law that accounted for voice, saying that narrow, specific gaps in law have been addressed when they emerged but that broad AI statutes may quickly become outdated. "We've got an amendment to that act coming in front of us too," the chair said about that related legislation.

Committee staff and legal services were introduced during the meeting. The chair identified Miss Levin Middleton Dunn of legal services as a resource who helps translate legislative intent into legal language and introduced Rachel Bennett (legislative assistant) and Alex Perry (analyst) as committee staff.

The chair closed by stressing decorum and respectful debate among members and said subcommittee meetings will follow the full committee session.

The remarks occurred during the committee's opening discussion and did not include a formal vote on policy or statutory changes.