Minnesota · House Bill · Ninety-Fourth Session
HF4979
Minnesota H.F. No. 4979 — Prohibition on Artificial Intelligence Performing Licensed Activities

Status ● Introduced Effective N/A Passage Likelihood L

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
Enforcement by the Minnesota Attorney General under Minn. Stat. § 8.31. No private right of action created by the bill itself. Section 8.31 authorizes the AG to investigate and bring actions for violations of laws within its scope; it also provides a private cause of action for persons injured by violations of certain consumer protection statutes, but standing depends on whether courts classify § 325F.701 as falling within § 8.31's private-action provision.
Private Right of Action
No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.
Penalties
The bill specifies enforcement under Minn. Stat. § 8.31, which provides the Attorney General with authority to seek injunctive relief, civil penalties, and restitution. Section 8.31 also permits private actions for damages; available remedies under § 8.31 include actual damages, up to $25,000 in civil penalties per willful violation when pursued by the AG, and attorney's fees in private actions. The bill itself does not specify independent damages or penalty amounts.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1
Definitions

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.

(b) "Artificial intelligence modelArtificial intelligence model"Artificial intelligence model" means a machine-based system that is capable of, for explicit or implicit objectives, inferring from the input the system receives how to generate outputs that are capable of influencing physical or virtual environments.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(b)" means a machine-based system that is capable of, for explicit or implicit objectives, inferring from the input the system receives how to generate outputs that are capable of influencing physical or virtual environments.

(c) "ConsumerConsumer"Consumer" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialed professional for professional services that the natural person or business is seeking.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(c)" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) professional for professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e) that the natural person or business is seeking.

(d) "CredentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d)" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e).

(e) "Professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e)" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.

Subdivision 1 establishes four defined terms that frame the bill's scope. The definition of artificial intelligence model tracks the OECD/NIST definition of an AI system. Professional services is defined broadly as any service requiring a state license, certificate, or registration — encompassing healthcare, legal, engineering, accounting, real estate, and dozens of other regulated occupations. Consumer is defined as any natural person or business that is not itself credentialed for the service being sought, and credentialed covers both individual licensees and businesses holding the required credential.

Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 2
Prohibition on AI models performing professional services
DeployerDeveloper

(a) 1 The owner of an artificial intelligence modelArtificial intelligence model"Artificial intelligence model" means a machine-based system that is capable of, for explicit or implicit objectives, inferring from the input the system receives how to generate outputs that are capable of influencing physical or virtual environments.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(b) is prohibited from allowing the model to provide a professional service to a consumerConsumer"Consumer" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialed professional for professional services that the natural person or business is seeking.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(c) unless the model is operated, while the service is being provided, by a natural person who is credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) to provide the professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e) or by a natural person representing a business that is credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) to provide the professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e).

(b) 2 A business or a person is prohibited from using an artificial intelligence modelArtificial intelligence model"Artificial intelligence model" means a machine-based system that is capable of, for explicit or implicit objectives, inferring from the input the system receives how to generate outputs that are capable of influencing physical or virtual environments.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(b) to provide a professional service to a consumerConsumer"Consumer" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialed professional for professional services that the natural person or business is seeking.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(c) unless the model is operated, while the service is being provided, by a natural person who is credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) to provide the professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e) or by a natural person representing a business that is credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) to provide the professional servicesProfessional services"Professional services" means services for which the state requires a license, certificate, or registration.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(e).

(c) This section does not prohibit a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) professional from using an artificial intelligence modelArtificial intelligence model"Artificial intelligence model" means a machine-based system that is capable of, for explicit or implicit objectives, inferring from the input the system receives how to generate outputs that are capable of influencing physical or virtual environments.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(b) as a tool to assist the credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) professional in performing a professional service.

Subdivision 2 imposes the bill's core prohibitions. Paragraph (a) targets owners of AI models, barring them from allowing their models to provide professional services directly to consumers unless a credentialed natural person is operating the model while the service is delivered. Paragraph (b) extends the same prohibition to any business or person that uses an AI model to provide professional services, ensuring both supply-side and demand-side actors are covered.

Paragraph (c) carves out a safe harbor for credentialed professionals who use AI as an assistive tool — making clear the bill targets unsupervised AI-to-consumer delivery, not AI-augmented professional practice.

Compliance actions 2 items
1
Owners of AI models must not allow their models to provide any state-licensed professional service directly to consumersConsumer"Consumer" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialed professional for professional services that the natural person or business is seeking.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(c) unless the model is operated, while the service is being provided, by a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) natural person or a natural person representing a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) business.
HC-02.3
2
Any business or person must not use an AI model to provide a state-licensed professional service to a consumerConsumer"Consumer" means a natural person or business that is not a credentialed professional for professional services that the natural person or business is seeking.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(c) unless the model is operated, while the service is being provided, by a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) natural person or a natural person representing a credentialedCredentialed"Credentialed" means a natural person or a business that holds a current license, certificate, or registration to provide professional services.Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 1(d) business.
HC-02.3
Minn. Stat. § 325F.701, subd. 3
Enforcement and penalties; attorney general

3 A violation of this section is subject to enforcement by the attorney general under section 8.31.

Subdivision 3 designates the Minnesota Attorney General as the enforcement authority and incorporates Minn. Stat. § 8.31, the state's general consumer protection enforcement statute. Section 8.31 grants the AG broad investigative and litigation powers, including authority to seek injunctive relief, civil penalties, and restitution.

Passage Likelihood

Low
Status Introduced
Chamber No passage
Committee No action
Majority party No
Bipartisan No
Prior session None

Legislative History

2026-04-16 Introduction and first reading, referred to Commerce Finance and Policy

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-20
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