Letter — Craig Tucker, VERN AI, on House Bill 5031 (February 10, 2026)

Summary

This is a letter dated Tuesday February 10, 2026, to the Michigan House Economic Competitiveness Committee, expressing support for House Bill 5031 on behalf of VERN AI, the Virtual Emotion Resource Network. The letter describes VERN AI as a technology company building emotionally intelligent AI products in the Lansing region. It states that support from the East Lansing / Lansing Regional SmartZone included early funding and the opportunity to represent the Lansing region at SXSW in 2025. The letter closes with the name Craig Tucker, CEO, VERN AI.

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“Letter — Craig Tucker, VERN AI, on House Bill 5031 (February 10, 2026).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2026-02-19-testimony-hb-5031-craig-tucker-vern-ai-62963-60659630c1/, SHA-256 6c5bc6e049fcdb319802c695c6981375ca3170c8247d170f484ab1b0a0149004.

Full text

Tuesday February 10, 2026

Michigan House Economic Competitiveness Committee
Anderson House OAice Building
Lansing, MI 48933

Dear Members of the Michigan House Economic Competitiveness Committee,

I am writing to express our support for House Bill 5031 on behalf of VERN AI, the Virtual Emotion
Resource Network, a technology company building emotionally intelligent AI products in the
Lansing region.

VERN AI develops systems that help artiﬁcial intelligence better understand and respond to human
emotion. We work across healthcare, customer experience, and education, where emotional
context is often as important as technical performance.

As an early-stage company working in a rapidly evolving ﬁeld, regional support has been essential in
helping us move from initial development to engaging real customers and partners. Through
support from the East Lansing / Lansing Regional SmartZone, including early funding and the
opportunity to represent the Lansing region at SXSW in 2025, we were able to explore new
markets, raise our visibility, and build relationships beyond our immediate network.

From our perspective as founders, programs like these create space to take thoughtful risks and
bring emerging technologies into real world use. They help ensure that companies working at the
edge of innovation can stay focused on building products, forming partnerships, and growing their
teams here in Michigan.

Renewing SmartZone support through House Bill 5031 helps maintain that environment. It
signals that Michigan is committed to supporting companies that are not only building new
technology, but shaping how people experience and trust it.

We strongly encourage your support of House Bill 5031 and for the continued investment in the
regional systems that help innovative companies grow, reach new markets, and contribute to
Michigan’s future.

Sincerely,

Craig Tucker
CEO
VERN AI
www.vernai.com

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