https://ailawwiki.com/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=News_Tennessee_AI_Personhood_Bill_SB_837_2026News Tennessee AI Personhood Bill SB 837 2026 - Revision history2026-04-29T19:30:37ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.40.1https://ailawwiki.com/index.php?title=News_Tennessee_AI_Personhood_Bill_SB_837_2026&diff=141&oldid=prevAILawWikiAdmin: Migration export2026-04-28T02:34:16Z<p>Migration export</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>The '''Tennessee AI Personhood Bill''' ([[SB 837]] / [[HB 849]]) is legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly that defines "human being," "life," and "natural person" for statutory construction purposes, explicitly excluding artificial intelligence systems, computer algorithms, software programs, computer hardware, and machines from these definitions.<ref name="legiscan-hb849">[https://legiscan.com/TN/bill/HB0849/2025 LegiScan, "HB 849 (2025)"]</ref><ref name="transparency-apr3">[https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legislative-update-april3-2026 Transparency Coalition, "AI Legislative Update — April 3, 2026"]</ref><br />
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== Bill Provisions ==<br />
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The bills amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, relative to conditions of personhood. The core provision states:<br />
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:''As introduced, defines "human being," "life," and "natural person" for statutory construction purposes; excludes from the definition of "person," "life," and "natural person" artificial intelligence, a computer algorithm, a software program, computer hardware, or any type of machine.''<ref name="legiscan-hb849"/><br />
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This language directly clarifies that AI is not considered a person, life, human being, or natural person under state law, preventing any legal recognition of machine-based entities as persons.<ref name="transparency-apr3"/><br />
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== Legislative History ==<br />
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'''SB 837''' passed the full Tennessee Senate on '''April 6, 2026''' with a '''26-6''' vote. The House companion '''HB 849''' was set aside in favor of SB 837, which then passed the full House on '''April 8, 2026''' with a '''93-2''' vote. The bill was sent to Governor [[Bill Lee]] on '''April 15, 2026'''.<ref name="transparency-apr24">[https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legislative-update-april24-2026 Transparency Coalition, "AI Legislative Update — April 24, 2026"]</ref><br />
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== Current Status ==<br />
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As of April 26, 2026, SB 837 has passed both chambers and has been delivered to Governor Lee's desk for signature or veto. The governor has 10 days to act on the bill. If signed, the law would take effect on the date specified in the legislation.<ref name="transparency-apr24"/><br />
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== Significance ==<br />
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This legislation represents one of the first state-level efforts to formally exclude AI from legal personhood definitions, addressing concerns that AI systems might someday claim legal rights or be recognized as legal persons. If enacted, it would establish a statutory construction principle that prevents courts or agencies from interpreting "person" to include AI systems in Tennessee law.<br />
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== Related Legislation ==<br />
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* [[News Tennessee-SB-1700-CHAT-Act-2026|Tennessee CHAT Act (SB 1700)]] — chatbot safety and data privacy<br />
* [[News Tennessee-Healthcare-AI-Bill-SB-1580-2026|Tennessee Healthcare AI Bill (SB 1580)]] — prohibits AI from claiming to be a mental health professional (signed into law April 1, 2026)<br />
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== References ==<br />
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[[Category:State Legislation]]<br />
[[Category:Tennessee]]</div>AILawWikiAdminhttps://ailawwiki.com/index.php?title=News_Tennessee_AI_Personhood_Bill_SB_837_2026&diff=315&oldid=prevAILawWikiAdmin: Migration export2026-04-28T02:34:16Z<p>Migration export</p>
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