New York signs law to protect children from AI chatbots

A photo taken on February 22, 2024 shows the logo of the Artificial Intelligence chat application on a smartphone screen. (Photo: AFP)

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a law aimed at protecting minors from the growing risks of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, the governor's office said.

The new legislation, signed by Hochul on Wednesday, prohibits companies from offering a range of chatbot features to users under the age of 18, which include pretending to be human, building emotional dependency, encouraging self-harm or engaging in sexually explicit conversations.

Under the new law, violations could result in a civil penalty of up to 25,000 U.S. dollars sought by the state's attorney general.

The bill also establishes a public website where New Yorkers could file complaints against chatbot companies for potential violations.

Several U.S. states have passed laws to restrict use of chatbots for children and enforce stronger safety requirements for AI companies.

In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring chatbot developers to conduct and publish annual child safety risk assessments and submit their products to independent audits.

Newsom also signed a law to ban social media platforms from deploying addictive features for users under the age of 16.