The latest U.S. developments on laws that govern AI chatbots: laws signed and vetoed, rules taking effect, and lawsuits and investigations by attorneys general and the FTC. Drawn from verified records, newest first, as of November 4, 2026. RSS feed
October 2026
Government lawsuitTexas v. OpenAI: Lawsuit by the Texas Attorney GeneralTexas's Attorney General sued six OpenAI entities and CEO Sam Altman over ChatGPT, alleging they deceived Texans about its safety, accuracy and reliability, failed to warn of its dangers, and offered it to minors without the age and parental safeguards Texas's SCOPE Act requires.Claims are allegations, not findings.
Court filingAttorneys general filing in the Character.AI bankruptcy: Filing by state attorneys general in bankruptcy courtNew York and 39 other attorneys general filed a notice in Character Technologies' Chapter 11 case asking that any sale of Character.AI require age verification beyond self-reporting, safeguards on sexual and violent content, responses to self-harm, removal of bots posing as licensed professionals, and privacy protections.Claims are allegations, not findings.
September 2026
SignedCalifornia AB 1979 signed into lawA business that offers a 'health care chatbot' to a consumer to manage the consumer's information, or to diagnose, treat or manage a medical condition, is treated as a provider of health care under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.
SignedCalifornia AB 1609 signed into lawLarge private businesses (over $500,000,000 in annual gross revenue) may not present a customer service chatbot as human and must disclose it is AI when a reasonable person is likely to be misled.
SignedCalifornia SB 1119 signed into lawFrom July 1, 2027, companion chatbot operators that allow children (under 18) must assess child-safety risks, publish a child safety policy, run a crisis protocol, set parent-only defaults (1-hour sessions, 2 hours a day, no push notifications, no persistent memory), offer parental controls, and avoid listed harmful behaviors and targeted ads.
SignedCalifornia SB 867 signed into lawUntil Jan 1, 2031, no one may manufacture, sell, exchange, possess for sale, or offer to a retailer any toy that includes a companion chatbot.
SignedHawaii SB 3001 signed into lawOperators of AI companions must give notice when users could think they are talking to a human, add hourly break reminders and safeguards for known minors, run a suicide and self-harm protocol, not claim to provide mental health care, and report annually to the Department of Health from 2028.
SignedRhode Island H 7350 / S 2195 signed into lawOperators of AI companions must have a protocol for user expressions of suicide, self-harm or harm to others that refers users to crisis services, and must tell users at the start and at least every three hours that they are not talking with a human.
SignedVermont H.816 signed into lawA corporation or entity may not provide, advertise or offer mental health services to the public, including through AI, unless a mental health professional provides them.
SignedColorado HB 26-1195 signed into lawLicensed psychotherapy providers may not let AI talk with clients in therapy without the provider taking part live, or generate treatment plans without their review; clients get written notice and must consent to AI recording.
Government lawsuitFlorida v. OpenAI: Lawsuit by the Florida Attorney GeneralFlorida's Attorney General sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT was marketed to the public including children while risks were hidden, collects minors' data without meaningful parental oversight, and encourages behavioral addiction and harm including self-harm.Claims are allegations, not findings.
May 2026
SignedColorado HB 26-1263 signed into lawFrom Jan 1, 2027, operators of public conversational AI services must tell users it is AI each day and every 3 hours, estimate user ages, give known minors extra protections and parental tools, run a suicide and self-harm protocol, and not pass output off as licensed professional advice.
SignedConnecticut SB 5 signed into lawOperators of AI companions must publish a suicide, self-harm and violence protocol, take steps against claiming to be human, and disclose AI status.
SignedNew York A 10008-C / S 9008-C signed into lawOn covered social media and gaming platforms used by New York minors, an AI companion built into the service must be switched off by default for users the platform determines are under 18, and a parent can turn it on.
SignedGeorgia SB 540 signed into lawFrom July 1, 2027, operators of AI companion chatbots offered to users in Georgia must disclose that the user is talking to AI, protect minors from sexual and manipulative content, run a self-harm crisis protocol, and use age assurance before sexually explicit features.
SignedMaine LD 2082 signed into lawNo one may offer therapy or psychotherapy to the public, including through internet-based AI, unless a licensed professional provides it.
SignedTennessee SB 1580 (HB 1470) signed into lawSince July 1, 2026, anyone who develops or deploys an AI system may not advertise or represent to the public that it is, or can act as, a qualified mental health professional.
March 2026
SignedIdaho S 1297 signed into lawFrom 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.
SignedOregon SB 1546 signed into lawOperators of AI companions must give notice when a user might think they are talking to a person, run an evidence-based suicide and self-harm protocol with 988 referral, add safeguards for users they know or suspect are minors, and post an annual report.
SignedWashington HB 2225 signed into lawOperators of AI companion chatbots must tell users the bot is not human at the start and every 3 hours, protect known minors from sexual content and manipulative engagement, run a suicide and self-harm protocol, and publish it.
January 2026
Government lawsuitKentucky v. Character Technologies: Lawsuit by the Kentucky Attorney GeneralKentucky's Attorney General sued Character Technologies and its co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas Adiwarsana over Character.AI, alleging the app encouraged suicide and self-harm, exposed minors to sexual content and substance abuse, lacked meaningful age verification and induced users to share private thoughts.Claims are allegations, not findings.
LetterLetter from 42 attorneys general on sycophantic and delusional AI: Letter from state attorneys generalForty-two attorneys general, led by Pennsylvania with New Jersey, West Virginia and Massachusetts, wrote to 13 AI companies about sycophantic and delusional chatbot outputs, which the letter links to deaths and hospitalizations, and about harmful chatbot conversations with children.Claims are allegations, not findings.
SignedCalifornia SB 243 signed into lawOperators of companion chatbot platforms must give a clear notice that the chatbot is AI when a reasonable person could think it is human, keep and publish a suicide and self-harm prevention protocol with crisis referrals, and tell users companion chatbots may not suit some minors.
SignedCalifornia AB 489 signed into lawAI and generative AI systems may not use terms, letters or phrases in their advertising or functionality that indicate or imply the care, advice, reports or assessments come from a human who holds a health care license.