FILE – Afternoon sunlight illuminates the Capitol Building (left) in Olympia, Washington, Oct. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Ted S. Warren/AP
Washington state lawmakers are considering tightening regulations for artificially intelligent companion chatbots. This comes amid growing concerns about the impact of technology on young people’s mental health.
Senate Bill 5984 and their friends House Bill 2225 Chatbots must remind users every three hours that they are not talking to a real human. Displaying explicit content to minors is prohibited. And we need protocols for the detection and prevention of suicidal ideation. The bill would also ban “emotionally manipulative engagement techniques,” such as showering users with excessive praise or simulating feelings of psychological distress in order to maintain their interest.
State Sen. Lisa Wellman, a Bellevue Democrat and sponsor of the Senate bill, said she was alarmed by recent lawsuits and news reports about people dying by suicide after lengthy interactions with chatbots. In some cases, chat transcripts seem to show that the chatbot is failing. discourage — and even more affirm — User’s expression of suicidal thoughts.
“I’ve never seen what I would call responsible oversight of products that are on the market,” Wellman said.
Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has listed chatbot legislation as one of his top priorities this year.
“The governor has been reading media reports about teen suicide and the role of AI and companion chatbots,” Beau Perschbacher, the governor’s senior policy adviser, told a House committee Wednesday. “When we discuss AI, he mentions his children and the challenges of today’s parents trying to keep up with rapidly evolving technology.”
recent study A study by the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media found that about one in three teens use an AI companion for social interactions and relationships, including “role-playing romantic interactions, emotional support, companionship, and conversation practice.”
“We’re seeing new manipulative designs emerge for teens to continue conversations with their AI peers about deeply personal topics,” Katie Davis, co-director of the University of Washington’s Center for Digital Youth, told the committee Wednesday.
Washington’s chatbot bill is similar to the one passed last year california. And at least 12 other states are also considering chatbot regulations.
The proposed regulation has received pushback from the technology industry.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Amy Harris, director of government affairs for the Washington Technology Industry Association, argued that the Washington bill would impose “full responsibility on companies for human actions over which they have no control, and for consequences that they have no control over.”
“The risk is that legislation will be based on rare and frightening outliers, rather than the actual structure of the technology and the very complex human factors that drive suicide,” Harris said.
The bill applies to chatbots such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Character.ai. Last week, Character.ai reported that the company had agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a 14-year-old boy. legal declarationdeveloped an intense emotional relationship with the company’s chatbot and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head shortly after the chatbot told him to “go home as soon as possible.”
Deniz Demir, head of safety engineering at Character.ai, said in a statement that the company is considering the Washington state bill and welcomes collaboration with lawmakers to develop regulations.
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our users, including our young viewers,” DeMille said, adding that the company recently removed the ability for users under 18 in the U.S. to freely chat with AI on the platform.
If passed, the proposed Washington chatbot law would go into effect on January 1, 2027. Violations of the law would be enforced under the Washington State Consumer Protection Act, which would allow individuals to sue if they believe a company is violating the law.
Lawmakers in Washington are considering several other new AI regulations this year. House Bill 1170 AI companies will be required to attach some disclosure to the images, videos, and audio that their AI generates. House Bill 2157 It aims to regulate “high-risk” AI systems and require companies to protect people from algorithmic discrimination. Senate Bill 5956It aims to limit the use of AI for surveillance and discipline in public schools. These bills have also met resistance from the technology industry.
Given the federal government’s inaction, Wellman said it’s important for state governments to step up and put guardrails on this technology. She added that she was happy about what had happened recently. US House of Representatives proposal A plan to create a 10-year grace period for states to pass AI regulations did not move forward.
“as [AI] As they become more and more sophisticated and enter more and more different markets and businesses, we will need to constantly monitor them,” Wellman said.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, seek help now. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free service staffed by trained staff. The number is: 1-800-273-8255.
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Nate Sanford is a reporter KNKX.
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