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Idaho, North Dakota, Utah and Tennessee enact bans on AI personhood amid chatbot romance debate
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US states are enacting bans on AI personhood and proposing legislation to prevent software from acquiring marital, property or contractual rights as people hold symbolic weddings with AI companions.
For engineers building AI companions or autonomous systems, these laws set boundaries on what software can legally do, such as owning property or entering contracts. A blanket ban on personhood could complicate functional uses of AI, while specific frameworks for AI-operated companies might offer new structures for liability and asset control.
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Idaho, North Dakota, Utah and Tennessee have enacted bans on AI personhood, with Tennessee specifically excluding AI from the statutory definition of a person.
Missouri state senator Joe Nicola introduced an AI Non-Sentience and Responsibility Act that passed the Senate but was rejected by a House committee.
Delaware is considering a proposal for "artificial intelligence companies" that could own assets, litigate and provide a liability shield for an owner.
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