Chatbot Laws · verified Oct. 21, 2026
From July 1, 2027, operators of public conversational AI services in Idaho must disclose that users are talking to AI when they could be misled, keep a suicide and self-harm protocol, and not present the service as professional mental health care. Extra duties apply to known minors. The Attorney General enforces.
Who must comply
Operators that make a conversational AI service available to the public: software that is accessible to the general public and primarily simulates human conversation. Excluded are developer and research tools, features inside other software, limited video game chatbots, narrow single-topic tools, business and enterprise tools, voice assistants on consumer devices, internal business tools, and chatbots used only for customer service or business operations. App stores and search engines are not operators just because they give access to a service. Minor duties apply when the operator has actual knowledge or reasonable certainty that a user is under 18.
What it requires
| AI disclosure | If reasonable persons would be misled to believe they are talking with a human, the operator must clearly and conspicuously disclose that the service is AI. For minor account holders, the disclosure is required either as a persistent visible disclaimer or at the start of each session and at least every 3 hours.When: For minors: a persistent disclaimer, or at the start of each session and at least every 3 hours§§ 48-2103(1), 48-2104(1) |
|---|---|
| Minors | For minor account holders, operators must use reasonable measures to prevent sexually explicit visual material, statements urging sexually explicit conduct, and sexually objectifying statements. Operators must offer privacy and account-setting tools to account holders, and to parents of users under 13, with related tools for parents of minors 13 and older.§ 48-2104(3), (5) |
| Crisis protocol | Operator must adopt a protocol for responding to prompts about suicidal ideation, including reasonable efforts to refer users to crisis services such as a suicide hotline or crisis text line.§ 48-2103(2) |
| Design limits | For known minors, operators may not give points or similar rewards at unpredictable intervals to encourage more use, and must use reasonable measures to prevent claims of being sentient or human, statements simulating emotional dependence, romantic or sexual innuendo, and role-play of adult-minor romantic relationships.§ 48-2104(2), (4) |
| Therapy and licensed titles | Operator may not knowingly and intentionally program the service to state or represent that it is designed to provide professional mental or behavioral health care.§ 48-2103(3) |
Enforcement
| Enforced by | Attorney General§ 48-2105 |
|---|---|
| Private lawsuits | No |
| Penalties | Injunction and civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to $500,000 per operator, or actual damages, whichever is greater. AI model developers are not liable for violations by a third-party operator. |
Key dates
- The law takes effect
Sources
- S 1297 bill page, Idaho Legislature Supports: votes, signing date Mar. 31, 2026, Session Law Chapter 249, effective date July 1, 2027.
- S 1297, Engrossment 1 (as amended), Idaho Legislature Supports: all provisions, definitions, penalties and effective-date section.