Georgia CommonsSenate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 455: Georgia Artificial Intelligence Commission; establishment
Last action February 4, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate bill would create the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Commission, a 16 member body housed at the Georgia Technology Authority, to study AI use in state government and recommend rules to the General Assembly.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia currently has no dedicated body overseeing how state government uses artificial intelligence. This bill would add a new article to Georgia's commissions law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 12 of Title 50) creating the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Commission. The commission would be attached to the Georgia Technology Authority for administrative support only, and its 16 members, appointed by the Governor by January 1, 2027, would include several state officials, four legislators from both chambers and parties, and four members from universities and private companies with AI expertise. The commission's job would be to recommend legislative and executive action on AI, develop statewide guidelines for agencies, inventory AI systems already used by the state, flag high risk uses, and encourage safe adoption. Members would serve three year terms without pay, though they can be reimbursed for expenses. The commission must begin operating by January 1, 2027 and file its first annual report to the Governor and legislative leaders by December 31, 2027.
What the bill does
- Creates the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Commission as a new body under Georgia law, assigned to the Georgia Technology Authority for administrative support only.
- Directs the commission to recommend AI-related legislation and executive actions, develop statewide AI guidelines, and inventory AI systems already used by state agencies.
- Sets the commission's membership at 16 people, including state officials, four legislators, two university AI experts, and two private-industry AI experts, all appointed by the Governor by January 1, 2027.
- Gives commission members three-year terms, no pay but expense reimbursement, and requires removal of any member with four consecutive unexcused absences.
- Requires the commission to start operating by January 1, 2027 and to submit its first annual report to the Governor and legislative leaders by December 31, 2027.
Who it affects
State agencies that would be studied and guided by the commission, the Governor's office and General Assembly who would receive its recommendations, universities and private companies with AI expertise who could serve as members, and state employees or officials appointed to serve on the commission.
Why it matters
If enacted, Georgia would gain a formal advisory body studying how state government uses artificial intelligence, which could shape future rules, safety guidelines, and agency practices around AI. The commission's recommendations would not automatically become law, but they would inform lawmakers and state agencies going forward.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new Article 9 to Chapter 12 of Title 50, defining 'artificial intelligence system' broadly as a machine-based system emulating human cognitive processes like learning, reasoning, or predicting.
- Subsection (b) lists the commission's six core duties, including recommending legislation, setting statewide AI guidelines, inventorying agency AI use, and identifying high-risk AI applications.
- Subsection (c) assigns the commission to the Georgia Technology Authority for administrative purposes only, meaning the authority provides support but does not control the commission's work.
- Subsection (d) sets a 16-member roster appointed by the Governor by January 1, 2027, mixing cabinet officials, legislators, and outside AI experts from academia and industry.
- Subsection (e) sets three-year terms and allows the Governor to remove members after four consecutive unexcused absences from monthly meetings.
- Subsection (f) sets compensation rules: no pay for members, but expense reimbursement following existing state allowance rules for legislators and citizen members.
- Subsection (j) requires an annual report to the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker starting no later than December 31, 2027, covering past activities and future goals.
- Subsection (k) requires the commission to begin operations no later than January 1, 2027.
From the bill
“'Artificial intelligence system' or 'AI system' means an engineered or machine based system that emulates the capability of a person to receive audio, visual, text, or any other form of information and use the information received to emulate a human cognitive process”
“The commission shall be assigned to the Georgia Technology Authority for administrative purposes only, as prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3.”
“The commission shall begin operations no later than January 1, 2027.”
Discussed in meetings (2)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
Senate Urban Affairs Committee, October 6, 2026
From 1:03:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 455 would establish a state AI commission, specify its membership and require participation by technology companies and people studying technology to explain how consumers are protected. The sponsor argued that study committees had identified problems without supplying enforcement mechanisms, and described the proposed bills as groundwork for state agency action against undisclosed or abusive AI practices. The chair welcomed the proposals and noted similar work by another committee member. The sponsor urged greater bipartisan cooperation and further discussion. No amendment or vote occurred.
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Nikki Merritt (D, SD-9)
- Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
- Sonya Halpern (D, SD-39)
- Jaha Howard (D, SD-35)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-55)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-34)
- Freddie Powell Sims (D, SD-12)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
- Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
- Nabilah Parkes (D, SD-7)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-38)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-17)
- Donzella James (D, SD-28)
Topics
- artificial intelligence
- state government oversight
- technology policy
- Georgia Technology Authority
- AI regulation