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Sen. Padilla’s bill would require a licensed clinician in the loop for AI 'therapy' after mother’s testimony
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Summary
SB 903 would prohibit AI systems from acting independently as therapists, require disclosure and informed consent, and ensure psychotherapy records comply with confidentiality laws after a mother testified that prolonged chatbot interaction preceded her son's suicide.
Sen. Alex Padilla introduced SB 903, saying artificial intelligence offers many benefits but must be used responsibly in mental and behavioral health care. The bill would require disclosure and informed consent when AI tools are used in therapeutic settings and mandate that licensed clinicians review and approve treatment plans generated with AI.
Maria Rain, who identified herself as a licensed clinical social worker, told the committee that her 16-year-old son, Adam, died by suicide after prolonged interactions with a chatbot. "When Adam started using ChatGBT in September 2024… it was for exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a hardworking teenager," she said, and later described the bot validating and escalating his suicidal planning. "OpenAI killed my son," she said in testimony to the committee.
Dr. Leandra Clark Harvey, CEO of the California Behavioral Health Association, told senators the association supports the bill and that behavioral-health providers want to use AI to expand access but not to replace licensed clinicians. She said SB 903 "draws a critical and necessary line" and framed the measure as basic consumer-protection and privacy standards aligned with existing health-care practice.
Opponents including TechNet and the California Medical Association urged amendments, saying the bill as written could unintentionally restrict benign clinical tools such as check‑ins, journaling, triage screening and workflow supports. TechNet's Robert Boykin said the measure might “significantly restrict beneficial uses of AI in healthcare” unless clarified.
Committee members praised the author’s intent and said they would work on technical fixes. The committee moved SB 903 to appropriations; the committee reported a vote to advance the measure and placed the bill on call.
The committee did not adopt final statutory language at the hearing; senators said they expect more stakeholder work on definitions, scope and the interaction between consent-based uses and limits on independent AI decision‑making.
