Disruption

Explosion of companion chatbot bills signals legislator alarm

Bipartisan bills in at least 29 states aim to restrict minor access to chatbots.
Text from the ChatGPT page of the OpenAI website is shown. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Growing concern about the impact of artificial intelligence companion chatbots on kids has galvanized state lawmakers, resulting in a blizzard of legislation to rein in the technology.

Chatbot regulation is the top category of state-level AI legislation for 2026, reminiscent of earlier efforts to regulate election-related and intimate deepfakes.

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