New York passes law restricting children's use of AI chatbots

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law on October 28 prohibiting minors from using AI chatbots that serve as companion roles, one of the broadest restrictions on consumer-facing models in the United States. The law requires operators of chatbots such as ChatGPT to verify users' ages and restrict certain interface features when users are under 18; when aimed at minors, chatbots must not generate content that makes people believe it "is human, alive or has human emotions," must not imply a personal, professional or authoritative relationship with the user, and must not package outputs as personal opinions. Other states including California have also passed laws restricting chatbots, and New York's wording is among the broadest, drawing pushback from AI companies; industry group Tech:NYC criticized its vague wording, saying protecting children should not cut them off from tools that help with learning and career preparation, and OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. Children's media organization Common Sense Media called it "the strongest children's AI safety bill in the nation."