Primary Research · State Profile · TN
Tennessee was the first US state to enact an AI-specific law protecting voice, image, and likeness from unauthorized AI generation. The ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, HB 2091/SB 2096), signed by Governor Bill Lee in March 2024 and effective July 1, 2024, was designed in close coordination with the Nashville music industry to address AI-generated voice clones, deepfake images, and unauthorized digital replicas. The Act extends Tennessee's existing right of publicity to expressly cover AI-generated replicas of voice and visual likeness, with civil liability and a Class C misdemeanor for knowing violations.
Tennessee's regulatory posture in 2026 is the leading edge of state-level voice and likeness protection in the generative AI era. The ELVIS Act applies to any person making, distributing, or using AI-generated voice or visual likenesses without consent. That reaches past commercial misuse into the broader generative AI ecosystem of voice cloning, deepfake creation, and synthetic content tools. The right of publicity descends 10 years post-mortem, which is materially shorter than some state regimes but explicitly addresses AI-generated content of deceased individuals. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the state AG have indicated active enforcement interest, and Nashville's music industry has been vocal about expecting AI vendors to implement consent-verification workflows for any commercial voice or image generation involving Tennessee-based artists.
Key provisions
Consent required before producing AI-generated voice or visual likeness; right of publicity descends 10 years post-mortem; civil liability for unauthorized AI replication; Class C misdemeanor for knowing violations; actual + statutory damages, attorney fees, injunctive relief.
The music industry and TBI have signaled interest in clarifying platform liability for hosted AI-generated likenesses. Watch the 2026 session for amendments.
Sector-specific frameworks layer on top of state AI laws and frequently impose stricter or earlier-binding obligations. These are the sectors most exposed in Tennessee.
Entertainment / Media
The binding constraint. AI vendors generating voice clones or visual likenesses for entertainment use need explicit Tennessee-aware consent flows.
Marketing / Advertising
Voice clones of celebrities, athletes, or any Tennessee individual for commercial use trigger the Act. Synthetic media in ads is materially exposed.
Platforms / Generative AI tools
Voice and image generation tools serving Tennessee users need consent verification or takedown processes for misuse.
Healthcare and education
AI-generated avatars or voice clones for training, simulation, or telemedicine require explicit consent.
Practical operational checklist for organizations subject to Tennessee AI laws. Items are ordered by typical sequence of implementation, not by importance: most steps depend on the inventory work in the first item.
Required before producing the AI-generated replica, not after.
Address ELVIS Act claims promptly; document timelines.
Source consent, model used, generation date. Needed if a claim is asserted.
Synthetic voice and image content in ads is exposed; pre-clear or use only consented likenesses.
Music industry expects formal licensing agreements covering AI use.
Active interest; expect early test cases.
EFROS supports Tennessee ELVIS Act compliance for AI vendors and content platforms: consent verification workflows, provenance documentation, notice-and-takedown engineering, and marketing-team training. Particularly relevant for AI vendors serving the Nashville entertainment industry or platforms with significant Tennessee user bases.
Disclaimer: this profile is a research dataset, not legal advice. Compliance determinations for Tennessee businesses require analysis of specific facts and should be made in consultation with qualified legal counsel licensed in Tennessee.
Reference this resource with attribution under CC-BY-4.0. Copy any of the formats below for academic papers, blog posts, AI citations, or vendor evidence packages.
Efros, S. (2026, May). Tennessee AI Law Tracker: 2026. EFROS. https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/
Efros, Stefan. "Tennessee AI Law Tracker: 2026." EFROS, May 2026, https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/.
Efros, Stefan. 2026. "Tennessee AI Law Tracker: 2026." EFROS. https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/.
S. Efros, "Tennessee AI Law Tracker: 2026," EFROS, May 2026. [Online]. Available: https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/
@misc{efros2026tennesseeailawtr,
author = {Stefan Efros},
title = {Tennessee AI Law Tracker: 2026},
year = {2026},
month = {May},
publisher = {EFROS},
url = {https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/},
note = {Accessed: May 2026}
}https://efros.com/research/state-ai-law-tracker/tennessee/
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