House Bill 1898, known as the "Artificial Intelligence Public Safety and Child Protection Transparency Act," introduces new regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Tennessee, specifically targeting large frontier developers and large chatbot providers. The bill mandates these entities to create and publish comprehensive public safety and child safety plans that detail their strategies for assessing and mitigating risks associated with their AI models, particularly those that could lead to catastrophic risks or child safety incidents. Key definitions are provided, including "catastrophic risk," "child safety incident," and "covered chatbot," and any significant modifications to these plans must be disclosed within 30 days. Furthermore, large frontier developers are required to report critical safety incidents to the attorney general within 15 days, with an expedited 24-hour disclosure for incidents posing imminent risks.

The legislation emphasizes transparency and accountability, allowing the attorney general to establish a reporting mechanism for safety incidents and to receive periodic summaries of assessments related to catastrophic risks. It also permits consideration of trade secrets, public safety, cybersecurity, and national security risks when transmitting reports. The Department of Safety, in collaboration with the attorney general, will designate federal laws or guidance documents that impose equivalent or stricter safety incident reporting standards. Civil penalties for violations are established, with fines reaching up to $1 million for large frontier developers and $50,000 for large chatbot providers per violation. The act clarifies that loss of equity value does not constitute damage under this chapter and ensures that the duties imposed are cumulative with other legal obligations, with the act set to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 10-7-504