A new Senate committee met this week to open a two-year review of how South Carolina should regulate artificial intelligence in state government, schools, law enforcement, businesses and consumer markets.
The Special Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence held its first meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. in Room 308 of the Gressette Building in Columbia. The panel is chaired by Sen. Tom Young and includes eight additional members from both parties: Sen. Mike Gambrell, Sen. Richard J. Cash, Sen. Josh Kimbrell, Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine, Sen. Jason Elliott, Sen. Jeffrey Graham, Sen. Matt Leber and Sen. Ed Sutton.
The published agenda for the opening session listed six items: an introduction of the committee, a definition of its scope, an overview of how other states are defining and organizing artificial intelligence policy, expert testimony, member discussion and adjournment. Invited testimony came from University of South Carolina professors Bryant Walker Smith and Homayoun Valafar, who directs the university’s Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Carolina.
The committee has not yet produced legislation, endorsed a regulatory model, set compliance deadlines or recommended penalties. A separate proposal already filed in the Senate, S. 963, would create a “Consumer Protections in Interactions with Artificial Intelligence Systems Act” by adding a new chapter to Title 37 of state law and prohibiting algorithmic discrimination from high-risk artificial intelligence systems. That bill, sponsored by Sen. Matt Leber, was introduced Feb. 26 and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance, where it remains pending.
Residents who want to weigh in during the two-year review can send comments through the committee’s published contact channel. The panel’s work is expected to continue through the 2026-2027 legislative sessions before any recommendations are drafted.
