Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 149, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, amends the Business & Commerce Code and Government Code to establish a regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in Texas. Among other provisions, the bill sets out provisions that do the following:

• establish mandatory disclosure requirements for certain users of AI systems, including governmental agencies and health care service providers;
• prohibit the development or deployment of an AI system to incite or encourage certain activities, gather certain biometric data in violation of an individual's rights, otherwise impair a person's constitutional rights, or unlawfully discriminate against a protected class;
• prohibit the use or deployment of an AI system to create a social scoring system;
• prohibit the development or distribution of an AI system to produce, assist or aid in producing, or distribute certain sexually explicit content or child pornography;
• create a civil penalty and grant the attorney general the authority to investigate, send notice, and bring an action against a person who violates the bill's provisions;
• provide for a regulatory sandbox program enabling a person to obtain legal protection and limited market access to test AI systems and require an annual report relating to the program; and
• create the Texas Artificial Intelligence Council to analyze opportunities for improvement, conduct training programs for state agencies and local governments, make recommendations to applicable agencies, and issue reports to the legislature regarding the use of AI systems, among other duties.

Additionally, the bill updates review and reporting requirements of the Sunset Advisory Commission and the Department of Information Resources regarding the use of AI systems by state agencies.