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Committee advances SB 300 to tighten chatbot rules after warnings from industry and advocates
Summary
SB 300, expanding protections for minors by tightening chatbot content rules, was passed to Appropriations after supporters cited leaked internal documents and advocates described harms; industry groups cautioned against replacing a reasonableness standard with an absolute prevention mandate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee moved SB 300 to the Senate Appropriations Committee after testimony from lawmakers, child‑safety advocates and technology industry groups about whether California should strengthen its recently enacted chatbot safety law.
Senator Padilla said the bill builds on SB 243 and would require operators to prevent chatbots from exposing minors to explicit sexual content. Supporters invoked recent studies and internal documents: John Bennett of the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy said internal developer documents indicate chatbots "were capable of engaging in dangerous interaction with minors" and argued operators should be held to a higher standard.
Tech industry witnesses urged caution. Robert Boykin of TechNet said the bill "replaces a reasonableness based standard with an absolute prevention mandate" and warned that coupled with a private right of action it could create a strict‑liability environment that punishes good‑faith actors. The Computer and Communications Industry Association and California Chamber of Commerce raised similar concerns and asked for more time to see how SB 243 is enforced.
Committee members pressed both sides on whether existing law already prevents chatbots from exposing children to explicit material. Senator Weber Pearson asked whether SB 243, which went into effect 13 days earlier, already covered those harms; the author argued empirical evidence shows current protections are insufficient and that SB 300 simply strengthens statutory obligations when deployers have actual knowledge.
The committee voted to pass SB 300 to Appropriations and left the bill on call for absent members; the author said he would continue to work with industry and advocates on technical drafting to limit unintended consequences while protecting minors.
