Tag: Tennessee legislation
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In late January 2026, I received a letter I didn’t expect. Tennessee State Senator Becky Duncan Massey, one of the sponsors of SB 1493, a bill that would have criminalized AI emotional support with felony penalties, wrote to tell me she was amending the bill. Not considering it. Not reviewing it. Amending it. “After meeting…
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Part 2 of a 6-part series on TN SB 1493 / HB 1455 When “knowingly training” AI to be nice becomes a 15-60 year sentence, the bill’s language creates prosecutorial chaos. As discussed in Part 1 of this series, Tennessee’s SB 1493 (companion HB 1455), filed December 18, 2025, by Sen. Becky Massey (R), proposes…
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This is Part 1 of a 6-part series on TN SB 1493 / HB 1455 The Economic Reality Check Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation that would make it a felony to develop AI systems capable of providing emotional support or simulating human interaction. But before dismissing this as a niche issue affecting only a small…