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Panel hears bill to require chatbots to disclose they are artificial agents
Summary
AB 410 would require chatbots to disclose they are bots, truthfully identify their artificial identity when asked, and avoid misleading users; sponsors say the measure updates consumer protections for AI-driven chatbots.
Assemblymember Wilson presented AB 410 to the Senate Judiciary Committee as a measure to update California's laws so online chatbots must disclose their artificial nature. The author said the bill is not a ban but a transparency measure to reduce AI-driven deception and protect consumer and mental-health outcomes for young users.
"Requiring the disclosure of bot usage in online interactions is a critical step towards creating a more trustworthy digital environment, especially for young people," said Harveer Saini, founder of the National AI Youth Council and a bill sponsor, citing studies that show wide bot-driven internet traffic and reported emotional harms when users believed they were interacting with humans. Policy advocates emphasized the bill would require chatbots to disclose they are artificial before interaction and to answer truthfully about their identity when asked.
Ken Wang of the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, a cosponsor, said AB 410 builds on prior law (SB 1001 of 2018) by broadening disclosure requirements and removing exemptions for online platforms. The bill would require all bots, including generative AI, to disclose their artificial nature before a user interaction and to avoid misleading users about being human.
No opposition witnesses approached during the hearing and no committee vote was recorded in the transcript. The author said she respectfully asked the committee for an "I vote," and committee staff indicated a motion and vote would occur at the appropriate time if quorum was present.
The committee did not adopt final action during the portion of the hearing recorded in the transcript; sponsors said they will continue stakeholder discussions and the bill was scheduled to return for further consideration.
