Artificial intelligence mental health professional representation ban
Tenn. AI Mental Health Representation Law
Artificial intelligence · Health
Bars developers and deployers of AI systems from advertising or representing to the public that the system is, or can act as, a qualified mental health professional. Violations are added to the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act's list of unfair or deceptive practices.
- Where
- Tennessee
- Citation
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-1-205; § 47-18-104(b) (2026 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 647, SB 1580/HB 1470)
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2026-07-01
- Enforced by
- Tennessee Attorney General and private plaintiffs under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- A violation is an unfair or deceptive act under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, with TCPA remedies and a civil penalty of $5,000 per violation notwithstanding normal TCPA penalty limits.
- Applies to
- Any person who develops or deploys an artificial intelligence system and advertises or represents it to the public in Tennessee
Practices it requires
- Do not advertise or represent to the public that an AI system is, or is able to act as, a qualified mental health professional.Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-1-205(a) · From 2026-07-01
Other duties
- Violations are TCPA unfair or deceptive acts subject to a $5,000 civil penalty per violation.Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-1-205(b); § 47-18-104(b) · From 2026-07-01
Sources
- Official text
- 2026 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 647 (SB 1580), Tennessee Secretary of State
- SB 1580 bill history, Tennessee General Assembly (signed April 1, 2026)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: This is an AI disclosure and representation law, not a data-privacy law; it is included under the spec's AI-disclosure scope. The new subdivision number within § 47-18-104(b) was not confirmed.
Research reference, not legal advice.