Pacific Northwest States Pass Companion Chatbot Legislation
Key Takeaways
- Oregon and Washington have both passed companion chatbot legislation requiring safety measures like suicide prevention protocols and disclosures that users are interacting with AI rather than humans.
- Oregon SB 1546 includes heightened protections for minors, requiring operators to prevent chatbots from simulating romantic interest or emotional dependence with underage users.
- Washington HB 2225 takes a broader approach to AI chatbot regulation by requiring hourly reminders for minors and protocols to identify eating disorders in addition to suicidal ideation.
- Both state AI companion laws struggle to clearly define what qualifies as a companion chatbot versus a customer service bot, creating uncertainty about whether systems that retain user information and personalize responses fall under the regulations.
- The minor protection chatbot requirements in both bills include private enforcement mechanisms, which could lead to legal challenges testing whether conversational AI used in customer service meets the definition of a companion chatbot.
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The Pacific Northwest has been active on companion chatbot legislation, with lawmakers in both Oregon and Washington recently passing legislation requiring safety measures for users. Following reports of users taking tragic actions after interactions with companion chatbots, state lawmakers have made the issue a top priority this session. But these new bills illustrate the challenges in crafting a bill without creating an overly broad scope that interferes with other chatbot uses.
Companion chatbot legislation has been one of the most popular AI-related issues in state legislatures this year. Lawmakers have heard heart-wrenching stories from parents of teenagers who committed suicide following interactions with companion chatbots, and there have been news stories of adults committing suicide, allegedly due to relationships with companion chatbots gone awry.
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