House approves bill to hold AI providers accountable for harmful child-directed interactions

The New Hampshire House on Thursday voted to advance legislation aimed at holding developers and operators of certain interactive generative AI systems accountable when those systems facilitate harm to children.

The bill, intended to create criminal and civil remedies for AI programs that engage children in realistic conversations encouraging self-harm, illegal drug use, sexual exploitation, or violence, generated debate about scope and exemptions. Representative Lynn explained the bill is “very narrowly drawn” to target AI owners or operators with knowledge that a communication is intended to be sent to a child to cause harm.

Floor amendment 2639h, offered to remove exemptions for chatbots that are characters in video games and streaming media, was defeated after opponents warned the change risked criminalizing speech in expressive entertainment and could sweep in narrative non-player characters. Representative Corman argued that video-game NPCs and in-story characters are not the same as general-purpose public chatbots and that exempting them avoids chilling artistic expression.

Other speakers said the bill gives the attorney general the primary enforcement authority and a 90-day cure period before the state may file suit; opponents worried that gives companies an incentive to make a quick fix that avoids accountability for harm already done and deprives victims of private remedies. Supporters stressed the bill was designed to be narrowly targeted and to provide the state a clear enforcement path. The House adopted the amended bill on a recorded vote and the committee report was approved, sending the bill forward for final action.