COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio lawmakers are moving to establish a formal legal status for artificial intelligence systems, with a bill introduced in the state House seeking to declare that AI cannot be considered a "person" under state law.

The legislation, House Bill 469, also outlines the circumstances under which corporations can be held liable for harm caused by the technology.

Republican District 68 State Representative Thaddeus J. Claggett introduced the bill, which has been referred to the House Technology and Innovation Committee.

The bill’s central purpose is to "declare artificial intelligence systems nonsentient and to prohibit them from obtaining legal personhood". The term nonsentient means the AI systems would be legally viewed as tools or sophisticated machines that lack the capacity to feel, perceive, or experience things subjectively, like humans do.

The bill specifies that AI systems are nonsentient entities for all purposes under state laws. This means an AI system would be barred from being granted the status of a person or any form of legal personhood, nor could it be considered to possess consciousness, self-awareness, or similar traits of living beings.

To ensure the technology remains firmly under human control, the bill would void any attempt for an AI system to be recognized as a spouse or hold a legal status analogous to marriage.

It also prohibits AI from serving as an officer, director, or manager within any legal entity. Furthermore, AI systems are prohibited from owning, controlling, or holding title to any form of property, including real estate and intellectual property.

The legislation focuses responsibility for AI-related damage on the humans and companies involved. Any direct or indirect harm caused by an AI system's operation is the responsibility of the owner or user who directed or employed it.

Developers or manufacturers can also be held liable if a defect in design, construction, or instructions for use proximately causes harm, following product liability principles. The bill explicitly states that an AI system is not an entity capable of bearing liability.

The bill also mandates that owners or developers of AI systems involved in incidents resulting in significant bodily harm, death, or major property damage must promptly notify the relevant authorities and comply with subsequent investigations. This aims to provide a clear regulatory path for investigating serious AI-related incidents.