A bill attempting to regulate the ever-growing AI companion chatbot industry is now law in California as of October 13.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill Senate bill 243advertised as “the first AI chatbot security in the country” State Sen. Anthony Padilla. The recent law requires companion chatbot developers to implement recent protections — for example, “if a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot is misled into believing that the person is interacting with a human,” then the recent law requires the chatbot creator to “issue a clear and conspicuous notice” that the product is merely an artificial intelligence, not man.
Starting next year, regulations will require some companion chatbot operators to submit annual reports to the Office of Suicide Prevention on the safeguards they have put in place “to detect, remove and respond to incidents of suicidal ideation among users,” and the office will have to publish such data on its website.
“New technologies like chatbots and social media can inspire, educate and connect, but without real barriers technology can also exploit, mislead and endanger our children” – Newsom – wrote in the statement after the bill was signed into law along with several other pieces of legislation aimed at improving children’s safety online, including recent age requirements for equipment. “We can continue to lead in AI and technology, but we must do so responsibly – protecting our children at every step. Our children’s safety is not for sale.”
The news comes after Governor Newsom officially signed Senate Bill 53, the landmark AI transparency bill that divided AI companies and made headlines for months, to become law in California.