New Tennessee law criminalizes AI technology for child pornography creation
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Beginning on July 1, 2025, it will be a crime in Tennessee to create or share technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child pornography.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on April 24, and it will take effect on July 1. The law makes it a felony to 'knowingly possess, distribute, or produce any software or technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.' Possession will be a Class E felony, distribution will be a Class C felony and production will be a Class B felony.
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'When in the wrong hands, artificial intelligence has the ability to make exploitive crimes even worse,' said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch. 'I applaud the General Assembly and Governor Lee for seeing the value in strengthening our state's laws to better protect Tennesseans, and I'm proud our state is leading the way on common sense measures to ensure this emerging technology doesn't become a dangerous tool for bad actors.'
Yager said the goal of the bill was to combat the rise of AI-generated child pornography while preserving legitimate AI applications. A release from his office explained that the legislation does not broadly ban AI, but targets tools with the intent to generate child pornography. The senator worked with the TBI to create the legislation.
'This law is about keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology to protect our children from unthinkable exploitation,' said Yager. 'Bad actors are using AI to create disturbing and abusive content, and Tennessee is taking a strong stand to stop it. By criminalizing the tools used to generate AI child pornography, we're giving law enforcement what they need to pursue offenders and protect victims.'
What state laws protect kids against AI-generated deepfakes?
This is not the first law in Tennessee targeting AI and child pornography. In 2024, the state added AI-generated images to the state's anti-child pornography laws.
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