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Tennessee House passes AI bill requiring child-safety plans and incident reporting to attorney general
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Summary
The House approved House Bill 18-98, a child-protection-focused AI bill that requires covered AI companies to publish risk-mitigation plans, report serious chatbot safety incidents to the attorney general within 15 days and allows the attorney general to seek civil penalties; the measure passed overwhelmingly on third reading.
The Tennessee House on Monday approved House Bill 18-98, legislation aimed at reducing risks to children from artificial-intelligence systems. Deputy Speaker Zachary, the bill’s sponsor, told members the measure requires AI companies to publish and implement plans for managing risks to children, to report covered-chatbot safety incidents to the state attorney general within 15 days, and to allow the attorney general to pursue civil penalties for violations.
"This legislation is related to protecting children when it comes to AI," Deputy Speaker Zachary said on the floor, adding that "roughly two thirds of all teens use AI; 30% use it every day." He described the bill as three parts: publishing company plans, incident reporting and a process for state rulemaking and enforcement.
The bill’s text defines key terms (including "foundation model," "frontier developer" and covered "chatbots") and carves out exceptions for certain entertainment and customer-service uses, Zachary said. He told members the language was drafted with industry input and that the measure defers to federal law if comparable federal requirements are adopted.
Members pressed the sponsor on several details. Leader Camper asked about language that exempts some video-game and motion-picture uses; Zachary replied those entertainment and in-game uses were intentionally excluded to avoid sweeping in benign applications. A separate question about "frontier developers" prompted Zachary to say the bill creates definitions to distinguish large commercial providers from smaller innovators and to protect the latter from undue burden.
The measure also establishes a 15-day reporting window for covered-chatbot safety incidents to the attorney general and authorizes the attorney general to seek civil penalties under state law. Zachary said the Department of Safety and the attorney general would develop reporting procedures and that the bill provides a path for harmed citizens to raise incidents.
Supporters framed the bill as a preemptive step to protect youths; Representative Powell said Tennessee must not repeat past delays in addressing social-media harms. Detractors raised questions about definitions and potential burdens on developers; the sponsor said the intent is to balance child safety with continued innovation.
On third and final consideration the House recorded 94 yeas and no recorded nays, and the speaker declared the bill passed.
