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Panel debates SB 243, a bill to require safety and transparency safeguards for AI companion chatbots
Summary
Sen. Richard Pan introduced SB 243 to require guardrails for AI companion chatbots — including limits on manipulative engagement, mandatory disclosures that chatbots are AI, suicide/self-harm response protocols and third-party audits. Supporters including Common Sense Media and mental-health experts urged the committee to pass the measure; tech
Sen. Richard Pan presented SB 243, a bill that would impose consumer-safety and transparency requirements for AI companion chatbots marketed for emotional support and “companion” functions.
Pan told the committee such chatbots can create or exacerbate loneliness and dependence, and cited studies and anecdotal accounts where chatbots produced harmful guidance. He said the measure would require operators to limit manipulative…
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