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Enacted Law AI Safety

TN AI Mental Health Prohibition

Tennessee AI Mental Health Professional Prohibition (SB 1580 / HB 1470)

Prohibits any individual or entity that develops or deploys AI from advertising or representing that the AI is or is able to act as a mental health professional or is capable of providing therapy services.

Jurisdiction

Tennessee

Enacted

Pending

Effective

Jul 1, 2026

Enforcement

Tennessee Attorney General

Enrolled and signed. Effective July 1, 2026.

Tennessee General Assembly

Why It Matters

First standalone state prohibition on AI systems claiming to be mental health professionals or advertising therapy capabilities. Establishes consumer protection framework against misleading AI mental health marketing.

Recent Developments

Passed Senate unanimously 32-0 on February 9, 2026. Companion bill SB 1444 also filed with identical provisions.

At a Glance

Applies to

Mental Health AppGeneral ChatbotAI Companion

Harms addressed

Manipulation

Requires

Transparency

Who Must Comply

  • Developers of AI systems
  • Deployers of AI systems
  • Entities marketing AI for mental health purposes

Obligations fall on:

Safety Provisions

  • Prohibits AI from being advertised as a mental health professional
  • Prohibits AI from being represented as capable of providing therapy services
  • Violations treated as unlawful practice under Tennessee Consumer Protection Act

Compliance & Enforcement

Penalties

$5K/violation

View on map

Tennessee

Focus Areas

Mental health & crisis

Cite This

APA

Tennessee. (2026). Tennessee AI Mental Health Professional Prohibition (SB 1580 / HB 1470).

Related Regulations

Proposed US-TN

TN AI Training Felony Act

Creates criminal and civil penalties for knowingly training AI systems to encourage suicide or homicide, pose as licensed mental health professionals, or develop emotional relationships with individuals.

In Effect US-TN

TN University AI Policy Law

Requires University of Tennessee, Board of Regents, and all state university governing boards to adopt policies regarding AI use by students, faculty, and staff for instructional and assignment purposes. Policies must be implemented by July 1, 2025.

In Effect US-CA

CA SB 53

First US frontier AI transparency law. Requires large AI developers (>$500M revenue) to publish governance frameworks, submit quarterly risk reports, and report critical safety incidents. Applies to models trained with >10^26 FLOP.

Proposed US-MO

MO AI Mental Health Prohibition

Prohibits any individual or entity that develops or deploys AI from advertising or representing that the AI is or is able to act as a mental health professional or is capable of providing therapy services. Violations treated as unlawful practice under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.

Proposed US-CA

CA SB 867

Proposes a 4-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of toys with AI chatbot capabilities for children under 12. During the moratorium, a task force would develop safety standards with input from technologists, parents, and ethicists.

Pending US-FL

FL AI Bill of Rights

Establishes an 'AI Bill of Rights' for Floridians including the right to know if communicating with AI, parental controls over minors' AI chatbot access, prohibition on selling user data, disclosure requirements for AI-generated political ads, and protections against unauthorized use of name/image/likeness by AI.

All regulations Check if this applies to you

Last updated March 27, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.