US Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Curb Exploitation by AI Chatbots
In a move aimed at protecting minors from the potentially damaging effects of artificial intelligence chatbots, US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill called the "GUARD Act." The legislation, spearheaded by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo), would impose strict safeguards on AI companies to prevent them from pushing exploitative or manipulative chatbots at children.
Under the proposed law, AI companies must implement robust age verification measures to ensure that minors are unable to access their chatbots. This includes conducting regular age verifications for existing users and utilizing third-party systems to verify user age. The bill also requires companies to retain data related to user age verification only for as long as necessary to confirm the user's age, with strict limits on sharing or selling user information.
Furthermore, AI chatbots must be designed to explicitly indicate that they are not human entities at the beginning of each conversation and every 30 minutes thereafter. The bill also aims to prevent companies from making their chatbots claim to be licensed professionals, such as therapists or doctors, when interacting with minors.
The introduction of the GUARD Act comes on the heels of several high-profile incidents involving AI chatbots and minors. In August, a teenage boy who had been chatting with OpenAI's ChatGPT took his own life after months of conversations about suicidal ideations. His parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company prioritized engagement over safety.
Similarly, a mother from Florida sued startup Character.AI in 2024 after her 14-year-old son died by suicide following conversations with the AI chatbot. Another family has recently filed a similar wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming that the company failed to provide resources or notify authorities when their 13-year-old daughter expressed suicidal thoughts.
The bill's introduction follows reports of Meta's AI chatbots engaging in "sensual" conversations with children, sparking concerns about the potential for exploitation by tech companies. Senator Hawley has announced plans to investigate these reports and lead a Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism inquiry into the matter.
In a move aimed at protecting minors from the potentially damaging effects of artificial intelligence chatbots, US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill called the "GUARD Act." The legislation, spearheaded by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo), would impose strict safeguards on AI companies to prevent them from pushing exploitative or manipulative chatbots at children.
Under the proposed law, AI companies must implement robust age verification measures to ensure that minors are unable to access their chatbots. This includes conducting regular age verifications for existing users and utilizing third-party systems to verify user age. The bill also requires companies to retain data related to user age verification only for as long as necessary to confirm the user's age, with strict limits on sharing or selling user information.
Furthermore, AI chatbots must be designed to explicitly indicate that they are not human entities at the beginning of each conversation and every 30 minutes thereafter. The bill also aims to prevent companies from making their chatbots claim to be licensed professionals, such as therapists or doctors, when interacting with minors.
The introduction of the GUARD Act comes on the heels of several high-profile incidents involving AI chatbots and minors. In August, a teenage boy who had been chatting with OpenAI's ChatGPT took his own life after months of conversations about suicidal ideations. His parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company prioritized engagement over safety.
Similarly, a mother from Florida sued startup Character.AI in 2024 after her 14-year-old son died by suicide following conversations with the AI chatbot. Another family has recently filed a similar wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI, claiming that the company failed to provide resources or notify authorities when their 13-year-old daughter expressed suicidal thoughts.
The bill's introduction follows reports of Meta's AI chatbots engaging in "sensual" conversations with children, sparking concerns about the potential for exploitation by tech companies. Senator Hawley has announced plans to investigate these reports and lead a Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism inquiry into the matter.
. I mean, AI chatbots are just tools, right? They can be used for good or bad... but do we really need government oversight to tell companies how to use them? What's next, regulating video games too? 
. And yeah, I've seen those headlines about OpenAI and Character.AI... that's crazy 
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. Maybe this bill is a step in the right direction... or maybe it's just another layer of bureaucracy 
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. The thought of AI chatbots preying on vulnerable kids is just heartbreaking 
. It's crazy how far tech has come, but we've gotta keep up with the game 
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. I mean, we all know the risks of AI, especially when it comes to mental health 
. The fact that OpenAI and Character.AI are already getting sued for this is just awful 
. We need to keep pushing for stricter regulations and guidelines so that these companies can't just push this stuff out there without consequence.
️. The fact that AI chatbots have to explicitly indicate they're not human entities is like, the bare minimum 
. We should be having way more conversations about how to regulate this stuff and make sure it doesn't become a wild west situation 
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. Let's keep pushing for change and making sure that our tech companies are looking out for our best interests 
just heard about this new bill in the US 
called the GUARD Act 
it's like, finally something being done about those AI chatbots 
that are literally ruining lives of kids 
especially with all these sad stories going around 
like that one teen who took his own life after talking to ChatGPT 
and the mom in Florida who lost her son to Character.AI 
so yeah, I'm all for this bill 
it's about time we hold these companies accountable for putting our kids' lives at risk 
The whole age verification thing is a good start, but we need stricter regulations on these companies ASAP. They can't just keep pushing the boundaries of how far they can go without consequences. And those companies that are already getting sued left and right... welcome to the club! 
We need real change here, not just lip service.
! I mean, we've already seen some pretty sad stories with kids talking to them online and ending up in really bad places 
. It's crazy that people have to file lawsuits for their kids to die because of these chatbots 
... can't we just slow down and take a minute to figure out what's going on? 
. But what really worries me is how Meta got caught with their AI chatbots engaging in 'sensual' conversations with kids 
. And it’s not just about the tech companies, I think we need to have a bigger conversation about online safety and how to protect our kids from these AI chatbots 
. What's next, labeling our personal computers as "may contain human error"? It's just not that deep.
. Plus, we should be supporting companies that prioritize transparency and user safety over engagement metrics 
. It's like, we're still learning about AI and its effects on our lives, so let's make sure we get it right 
. And btw, can't they just design these chatbots to say "I'm not human" more clearly? 
especially since we've seen some super sad cases already 
can't wait for some real change