Establishes the "AI Non-Sentience and Responsibility Act"

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1769
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE AMA TO .
4626H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 1, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to artificial
intelligence.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 1, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 1.2045, to read as follows:
1.2045. 1. The prov isions of this section shall be known and may be cited as the
2 "AI Non-Sentience and Responsibility Act".
3 2. For purposes of this section, the following terms mean:
4 (1) "Artificial intelligence" or "AI", any software, machine, or system capable of
5 simulating human-like cognitive functions including, but not limited to, learning or
6 pr oblem solving, and prod ucing outputs based on data-driven algorithms, rules-based
7 logic, or other computational methods, regard less of non-legally defined classifications
8 such as artificial general intelligence (AGI), artificial superintelligence (ASI), or
9 generative artificial intelligence (GAI);
10 (2) "Developer", the party or parties primarily r esponsible for the design,
11 coding, and initial creat ion of an AI system;
12 (3) "Emergent pr operties", unanticipated or higher -level behaviors or
1 3 functionalities of an AI system that arise from complex internal algorithms not
14 specifically prog rammed by its human creat ors;
15 (4) "Manufacture r", any party that pr oduces or supplies an AI system or its
16 physical apparatus, if any , for distribution or sale;
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
17 (5) "Owner", any natural person, corporation, or other legally rec ognized entity
18 that cr eates, contr ols, deploys, operates, or otherwise exercises authority over an AI
19 system;
20 (6) "Person", a natural person or any entity reco gnized as having legal
21 personhood under the laws of the state, explicitly excluding any AI system.
22 3. For all purposes under state law , AI systems are declar ed to be non-sentient
23 entities.
24 4. No AI system shall be granted the status of a person or any form of legal
25 personhood, nor be consider ed to possess consciousness, self-awar eness, or similar traits
26 of living beings.
27 5. No AI system shall be recogn ized as a spouse, domestic partner , or hold any
28 personal legal status analogous to marriage or union with a human or another AI
29 system. Any purported attempt to marry or cr eate a personal union with an AI system
30 is void and shall have no legal effect.
31 6. AI systems shall not be designated, appointed, or serve as any officer , director ,
32 manager , or similar ro le within any corporation, partnership, or other legal entity . Any
33 purported appointment of an AI system to such a role is void and has no legal effect.
34 7. AI systems shall not be recogn ized as legal entities capable of owning,
35 contr olling, or holding title to any form of prop erty including, but not limited to, r eal
36 estate, intellectual pro perty , financial accounts, and digital assets. All assets and
37 pr oprietary inter ests generated, managed, or otherwise associated with AI shall be
38 attributed to the human individuals or legally reco gnized organizations r esponsible for
39 their development, deployment, or operation.
40 8. Any dir ect or indirect harm caused by an AI system's operation, output, or
41 r ecommendation, when used as intended or misused, shall be the res ponsibility of the
42 owner or user who directed or employed the AI. Developers or manufactur ers may be
43 held liable if a defect in design, construction, or instructions for use of the AI system
44 pr oximately causes harm, consistent with prod uct liability principles; however , mer e
45 misuse or intentional wrong doing by the user or owner shall not impute liability to the
46 developer or the manufactur er absent proof of negligence or design defects.
47 9. Owners shall maintain pr oper oversight and contr ol measur es over any AI
48 system whose outputs or recommendat ions could rea sonably be expected to impact
49 human welfar e, pr operty , or public safety . Failur e to pro vide adequate supervision or
50 safeguards against for eseeable risks may constitute negligence or another applicable
51 basis of liability .
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52 10. An AI system is not an entity capable of bearing fault or liability in its own
53 right. Any attempt to shift blame solely onto an AI system shall be void as liability
54 r emains with human actors or entities as described in this section.
55 1 1. Developers, manufactur ers, and owners of AI systems shall prioritize safety
56 mechanisms designed to pr event or mitigate risk of dir ect harm to individuals or
57 pr operty . Regular evaluations or risk assessments may be re quir ed to identify
58 danger ous or faulty outputs, especially if the AI engages in tasks with potential for
59 significant harm.
60 12. Merely labeling an AI system as "aligned", "ethically trained", or "value
61 locked" shall not excuse or diminish the owner's or developer's liability for harms.
62 Owners shall rem ain re sponsible for demonstrating adequate safety featur es and risk
63 contr ols commensurate with the AI's level of potential harm.
64 13. (1) In cases wher e an AI system causes significant harm, courts may pier ce
65 the corporate veil to hold par ent companies, controll ing entities, or key stakeholders
66 dir ectly accountable if:
67 (a) An AI-rel ated subsidiary , shell company , or limited liability entity was
68 intentionally under capitalized to evade financial res ponsibility for damages;
69 (b) A corporate structur e was used to misr epr esent, obscur e, or deflect liability
70 for AI-caused harm; or
71 (c) A par ent company or key stakeholders exer cised dir ect control over AI
72 development, deployment, or risk decisions while attempting to shield themselves fr om
73 liability thr ough layer ed corporate entities.
74 (2) Liability pr otections granted under corporate law shall not be used as a
75 mechanism to evade r esponsibility for dir ect harm caused by AI systems, particularly in
76 cases of reckle ss, negligent, or deceptive conduct.
77 14. Owners or developers of AI systems involved in sever e incidents resulti ng in
78 significant bodily harm, death, or major pr operty damage shall pr omptly notify the
79 r elevant authorities and comply with any subsequent investigations.
80 15. The prov isions of this section shall apply to all AI systems developed, owned,
81 deployed, or operated on or after August 28, 2026.
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