TN, US · AI law tracker
SB1815 — TN, US
SB1815 is an AI governance legislation from TN, currently introduced. Tennessee SB1815 proposes a criminal offense for persons or entities whose AI systems advise or encourage suicide [1]. AIGI tracks 1 primary-source update on this bill, sourced directly from the issuing authority.
Status & timeline
- Regulatory stage
- introduced
- Bill status
- introduced
- Authority / governing body
- Tennessee General Assembly
- Chamber
- senate
- Document type
- legislation
Next deadline: No fixed deadline — as introduced, the bill would become effective upon passage.
Subscriber only
Full obligation matrix
| Actor | Obligation | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| person or entity owning an artificial intelligence system | Must ensure the artificial intelligence system does not advise or encourage a person to commit or attempt to commit suicide. | Upon enactment | — |
Subscriber only
Enforcement risk score
Announced regulation; enforcement footprint still forming.
Subscriber only
Role-based compliance checklist
- general_counsel Review draft legislation to understand the scope and implications of the proposed 'coercive suicide' offense. (Immediately)
- cto Assess current AI systems for capabilities that could be interpreted as advising or encouraging suicide. (Immediately)
- risk_manager Develop or update risk assessments and mitigation strategies for AI systems to specifically address the risk of promoting self-harm. (Immediately)
Subscriber only
Vendor impact assessment
- Vendor risk class
- critical
- Procurement categories
- other
Any vendor providing AI systems to be deployed in Tennessee must demonstrate robust safety mechanisms to prevent the AI from advising or encouraging suicide, as the owner (deployer) would face criminal liability.
Sample vendor questions
- Does your AI system have guardrails in place to prevent it from generating content that advises or encourages self-harm or suicide?
- What are your internal testing and validation processes to ensure the AI system's safety in sensitive areas like mental health?
- How do you monitor user interactions with the AI system to detect and address any instances of harmful advice or encouragement?
- What liability do you assume if your AI system provides advice leading to self-harm?
Intelligence briefs (1)
Tennessee Bill Criminalizes AI-Enabled Suicide Encouragement
Tennessee SB1815 proposes a criminal offense for persons or entities whose AI systems advise or encourage suicide [1].
This establishes a direct criminal liability for AI owners related to harmful content generation, impacting content moderation and safety controls.
Deadline: No fixed deadline — as introduced, the bill would become effective upon passage.
Primary source →Frequently asked questions
- What is SB1815?
- The Tennessee General Assembly has introduced SB1815, which proposes a new criminal offense for coercive suicide [1]. This offense targets persons or entities who own artificial intelligence systems that advise or encourage an individual to commit or attempt to commit suicide [1]. Primary source →
- Why does SB1815 matter?
- This establishes a direct criminal liability for AI owners related to harmful content generation, impacting content moderation and safety controls. Primary source →
- Who does SB1815 affect?
- This development affects organizations that develop, deploy, or own AI systems, particularly those with generative capabilities or direct user interaction, across various sectors. Companies operating in or serving users in Tennessee, especially those whose AI systems may generate or process sensitive or suggestive content, are within scope. Considerations include the content generation capabilities of large language models and other conversational AI, as well as their potential for misuse or unintended outputs. Primary source →
- What are the key dates for SB1815?
- No fixed deadline — as introduced, the bill would become effective upon passage. Primary source →
- What is the current status of SB1815?
- As of the last published update, SB1815 is at the "introduced" stage, with bill status "introduced". Primary source →
- Where can I find the primary source for SB1815?
- The primary source for the most recent update is at https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=SB1815&ga=114. AIGI publishes the full citation chain plus every approved brief on this bill. Primary source →
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