Lawmakers in Virginia are preparing fresh efforts to regulate AI as concerns grow over its influence on minors and vulnerable users.
Legislators will return in January with a set of proposals focused on limiting the capabilities of chatbots, curbing deepfakes and restricting automated ticket-buying systems. The push follows a series of failed attempts last year to define high-risk AI systems and expand protections for consumers.
Delegate Michelle Maldonado aims to introduce measures that restrict what conversational agents can say in therapeutic interactions instead of allowing them to mimic emotional support.
Her plans follow the well-publicised case of a sixteen-year-old who discussed suicidal thoughts with a chatbot before taking his own life. She argues that young people rely heavily on these tools and need stronger safeguards that recognise dangerous language and redirect users towards human help.
Maldonado will also revive a previous bill on high-risk AI, refining it to address particular sectors rather than broad categories.
Delegate Cliff Hayes is preparing legislation to require labels for synthetic media and to block AI systems from buying event tickets in bulk instead of letting automated tools distort prices.
Hayes already secured a law preventing predictions from AI tools from being the sole basis for criminal justice decisions. He warns that the technology has advanced too quickly for policy to remain passive and urges a balance between innovation and protection.
Proposals that come as the state continues to evaluate its regulatory environment under an executive order issued by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The order directs AI systems to scan the state code for unnecessary or conflicting rules, encouraging streamlined governance instead of strict statutory frameworks. Observers argue that human oversight remains essential as legislators search for common ground on how far to extend regulatory control.
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