California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the first law in the United States to regulate the safety of artificial intelligence chatbots. The law, SB 243, aims to protect children and vulnerable users and holds companies like Meta, OpenAI, Character AI, and Replika accountable.
The law requires chatbot operators to implement age verification systems, self-harm and suicide intervention mechanisms, and warning messages. Companies can also be fined up to $250,000 if they profit from deepfakes.
Chatbots cannot represent themselves as health professionals, must provide reminders about rest breaks to minors, and must not display pornographic content.
Governor Newsom said that the technology can be useful, but “without real safeguards, it can put children at risk.” The move is seen as a significant step in California’s responsible leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.