Washington has become one of the first states to pass robust regulations on artificial intelligence as President Donald Trump seeks to leverage executive power to enforce a national blueprint for dealing with the technology.
Washington state lawmakers approved House Bill 2225, which Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Lisa Callan, won final passage on March 11 and is expected to face resistance from the White House as well as other critics.
The bill specifically targets AI chatbots designed to act as ongoing companions. These bots have grown in popularity over recent years, which has begun causing problems for children and vulnerable adults who form emotional attachment to them.
WASHINGTON STATE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) has signed legislation updating the state’s rights of personality law to protect residents from AI-generated digital replicas. The law gives residents recourse if someone uses deepfake technology...
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If the bill is passed, companies will be required to notify users that it is not human at the beginning of an interaction, whenever a new session is started, and every three hours after. If the user is a minor, that disclosure must appear at least once per hour.
The measure would also require companies to employ reasonable measures to prevent minors from viewing or creating sexually explicit content or suggestive dialogue. Companies must also ensure that their chatbots cannot use manipulative techniques, including pretending to be a romantic partner to keep the user engaged.
Even further, if a person seeks advice about mental or physical health, the system must disclose that it is not a health professional before answering the user’s question. Companies also cannot create a companion chatbot unless they have institute protocols for detecting suicidal ideation or self harm.
The proposed legislation also mandates that companies must publicly disclose details of the safeguards they have implemented, including the number of crisis referral notifications issued to users each year.
It’s not hard to understand why lawmakers seek to regulate artificial intelligence. Since the technology became more ubiquitous, there have been several reports about individuals who formed unhealthy emotional attachments to chatbots. This is especially true of minors, who are increasingly relying on AI to meet their emotional and relational needs.
Washington state gave final passage on the eve of its March 12 adjournment to three significant AI bills: HB 1170 (AI disclosure), HB 2225 (chatbot safety for kids and self-harm protocols for all users), and SB 5395 (AI use in health insurance).
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HB 2225 is especially notable —…
Those in the Gen Z generation are using the technology to perform basic social tasks — including telling a date they just want to be friends. About 80 percent of Gen Z respondents to a survey indicated they would consider marrying an AI companion.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to prevent states from passing their own restrictions on AI. The president is looking to establish a national, uniform regulation framework to prevent confusion caused by multiple regulations used in different states.
In December, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence” that instructs federal agencies to challenge state AI laws that are too burdensome or ideologically biased. They will also help to create a federal law to establish a national regulatory infrastructure for AI.
If Washington’s law passes — which it looks like it will — it will likely set off a legal battle with the Trump administration, which will almost certainly challenge the measure in court.