Chatbot Laws · verified Oct. 21, 2026
Becomes operative July 1, 2027. Operators of public conversational AI services must disclose to minor account holders that they are talking to AI, limit sexual content and human-like or romantic statements toward minors, offer privacy tools, and adopt a suicide and self-harm referral protocol. All users get an AI disclosure when they could be misled into thinking they are talking to a human.
Who must comply
Operators, meaning persons who make a conversational AI service (AI that primarily simulates human conversation) available to the public. A minor is someone the operator actually knows or is reasonably certain is under 18. Excludes tools for developers or researchers, features inside other apps, narrow-topic tools, tools for commercial use by businesses, voice assistants, internal business tools and customer-service tools (§ 86-1802); app stores and search engines are not operators.
What it requires
| AI disclosure | For each minor account holder, the operator must clearly and conspicuously disclose that they are interacting with AI. For all users, the operator must clearly and conspicuously disclose that the service is AI if a reasonable person would be misled to believe they are talking to a human.When: Minors: a persistent visible disclaimer, or a disclaimer at the beginning of each session that also appears at least every three hours of continuous interaction. Other users: whenever a reasonable person would be misled (no timing stated).§ 86-1803(1) and § 86-1804 (LB 525 Secs. 14(1), 15) |
|---|---|
| Minors | Operators may not give minor account holders points or similar rewards at unpredictable intervals to encourage engagement, must use reasonable measures to stop the service from producing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct, directly telling the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, or sexually objectifying the minor, and must offer privacy and account-setting tools to minors, to parents or guardians of those under 13, and as appropriate to relevant risks to parents or guardians of those 13 and older.§ 86-1803(2), (3), (5) (LB 525 Sec. 14) |
| Crisis protocol | Operators must adopt a protocol for responding to user prompts about suicidal ideation or self-harm, including at least reasonable efforts to refer the user to crisis services such as a suicide hotline or crisis text line.§ 86-1805 (LB 525 Sec. 16) |
| Design limits | For minor account holders, operators must use reasonable measures to prevent statements that would lead a reasonable person to think they are talking to a human, including explicit claims of being sentient or human, statements simulating emotional dependence, simulated romantic or sexual innuendo, and role-playing adult-minor romantic relationships.§ 86-1803(4) (LB 525 Sec. 14(4)) |
| Therapy and licensed titles | Operators may not knowingly and intentionally cause or program the service to make a representation or statement that explicitly indicates it is designed to provide professional mental or behavioral health care.§ 86-1806 (LB 525 Sec. 17) |
Enforcement
| Enforced by | Attorney General§ 86-1807 (LB 525 Sec. 18) |
|---|---|
| Private lawsuits | No |
| Penalties | The Attorney General may sue on behalf of the state or any aggrieved person for equitable or declaratory relief, actual damages, civil penalties of at least $1,000 per violation but no more than $500,000 per operator (remitted to the State Treasurer under Neb. Const. art. VII, sec. 5), and reasonable expenses including attorney's fees. No private right of action is created, and an AI model developer is not liable for a third-party operator's violation. |
Key dates
- Conversational AI Safety Act (Secs. 12-18) becomes operative
Related laws
- Iowa SF 2417Conversational AI servicesIn effect since July 1, 2026; more from July 1, 2027
Sources
- LB525 bill page and history, Nebraska Legislature Supports: Final Reading 49-0 on 4/10/2026; approved by Governor 4/14/2026; LB1185 provisions amended in.
- LB525 slip law, Nebraska Legislature Supports: Secs. 12-19 text, 'Approved by the Governor April 14, 2026'.
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 86-1801, Nebraska Legislature Supports: Act codified at 86-1801 to 86-1807; source Laws 2026, LB525, § 12; operative July 1, 2027.