Colorado targets AI chatbot safety
Platforms must warn kids they are using AI.
AI chatbots operating in Colorado would face new child safety and suicide prevention requirements under a bipartisan bill introduced in the Colorado legislature. Lawmakers say the measure addresses parents to concerns about harmful chatbot interactions.
House Bill 1263 would require companies to clearly inform children in Colorado that they are interacting with AI rather than a real person. Platforms would also be barred from offering engagement rewards to child users.
The proposal mandates reasonable safeguards to prevent sexually explicit content and to stop chatbots from encouraging emotional dependence, including romantic role-playing. Parental control options would also be required where services are accessible to children in Colorado.
Companies would need to provide suicide prevention resources when users express self-harm thoughts and report such incidents to the Colorado attorney general. Violations would be treated as consumer protection infractions, carrying fines of up to $1,000 per occurrence in Colorado.
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