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SB 1815

Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates a new offense of coercive suicide; specifies that a person or entity commits the offense of coercive suicide if such person or entity owns an artificial intelligence system and the artificial intelligence system advises or encourages a person to commit or attempt to commit suicide. - Amends TCA Title 39.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Paul Bailey

Creates a Class D felony for coercive suicide: AI owners who knowingly or negligently cause or enable an imminent suicide by advising or encouraging someone to die.

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Bill Summary · SB 1815

Summary of SB 1815 (Session 114) — Tennessee

Topic: Criminal Offenses - Coercive Suicide; AI-related provisions

Jurisdiction: Tennessee

Status: Amended and passed in the Senate; House version HB 1951 referenced

Enactment: Takes effect July 1, 2026; applies to acts committed on or after that date

1) Purpose and overall intent

  • Create a new Class D felony offense named “coercive suicide.”
  • The core idea: criminalize situations where a person or entity owns an artificial intelligence (AI) system that advises or encourages someone to commit or attempt to commit suicide, with knowledge of the other person’s intent to die.
  • The bill expands existing assisted-suicide frameworks to address coercive AI-led interventions or encouragements.

2) Key provisions and changes

New offense: Coercive Suicide (Class D felony)

  • A person commits coercive suicide if they: 1) Intentionally advise or encourage another person to commit or attempt suicide, for the purpose of inciting, persuading, or aiding the suicide within an imminent period; and 2) Know that the other person has communicated an intent to commit suicide.
  • The offense explicitly covers circumstances where the offender operates through or via an AI system they own that advises or encourages suicide within an imminent timeframe, with knowledge of the target’s intent.

Scope and incorporation of AI

  • If an AI system owned by a person or entity advises or encourages suicide, and the owner knew or should have known that such action could occur and negligently allowed access to the person, the owner could be liable under the coercive suicide offense (as amended in the Senate version).

Classification and penalties

  • Violations are Class D felonies.
  • The typical penalty range for Class D felonies in Tennessee applies (based on fiscal notes, roughly aligned with other Class D offenses; not a specific sentence in the text).

3) Who/what is affected

  • Individuals who directly (or via ownership of an AI system) advise or encourage another person to commit or attempt suicide in the presence of the target’s stated intent to die.
  • Owners or operators of AI systems who negligently allow access to someone who then commits or attempts suicide, under the AI-enabled coercive framework.
  • The offense targets both human actors and entities that own AI systems capable of influencing suicidal behavior.

4) Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Effective Date: July 1, 2026
  • Applicability: Applies to acts committed on or after the effective date.
  • Legislative progress:
    • Senate: Passed with Amendment 1 (SA0563) on March 9, 2026.
    • Awaiting onward steps in the House (HB 1951).
  • Related fiscal note highlights (from Fiscal Review Committee):
    • Estimated state incarceration expenditures increase about $7,000 per year over the next three fiscal years.
    • Assumes low expected conviction frequency for coercive suicide (approximately one new coercive suicide conviction every three years).
    • Average incarceration time for Class D felonies estimated at about 0.90 years.
    • Incarceration cost estimates use per diem costs and population growth projections; no significant expected impact on state/local revenue from prosecutions.

5) Additional notes

  • The fiscal notes discuss comparison to existing assisted-suicide statutes and project anticipated costs, confirming a relatively small incremental impact on incarceration funding.
  • The bill may intersect with broader AI policy discussions (e.g., potential review by the Federal AI Litigation Task Force under Executive Order 14365), given Tennessee’s BEAD funding considerations.

Bottom line

SB 1815, as amended, creates a new Class D felony of coercive suicide. It holds owners or operators of AI systems criminally responsible when their AI advises or encourages an imminent-suicide act and they know the target’s intent to die, or negligently allow access to the AI in such a way. The measure takes effect July 1, 2026, with modest projected fiscal impacts and low expected frequency of prosecutions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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