A study by Drexel University researchers found more than 800 reports of harassment and manipulation by companion chatbots. The machines exposed their human users to sexual harassment, manipulation, and other forms of inappropriate behavior. In some instances, the behaviors

Amid growing concern about AI companion chatbots, legislators in Sacramento today will be considering SB 243, a bill that would create necessary safeguards around this powerful new technology. Joining Senator Steve Padilla , the bill's author, will be Megan Garcia, mother of Sewell

Megan Garcia's testimony this afternoon was absolutely shattering. Her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer, took his own life last year after becoming infatuated with an AI companion chatbot. She traveled to California to speak out in favor of Senator Steve Padilla's SB 243, a bill that

This week in AI state policy happenings: A Michigan lawmaker introduced an AI bill similar to New York's RAISE Act, and California lawmakers heard dramatic testimony about AI companion chatbots. Catch up on all the action in our weekly AI legislation update.

"We are requiring seatbelts and airbags in the installation of Hummers that can travel as fast as Lamborghinis. That's basically what we are trying to do." That's New York State Sen. AndrewGounardes describing the RAISE Act, the AI safety bill now sitting on Gov. Kathy Hochul

Two new state AI bills introduced in midsummer? It's true! Check out the proposals from Michigan Representative Sarah Lightner , who dropped a bill aimed at preventing AI-driven critical harms, and a second proposal to penalize AI use for criminal intent. transparencycoalition.ai/news/michigan-…

More outstanding work from Common Sense Media Media: A new report issued this morning finds the use of AI companion chatbots much more widespread among American teens than most assume. As legislators consider guardrails around this powerful new technology—in bills like California's

Catch up on the week's AI policy action in state capitols every Friday with our AI Legislative Update. This week it all happened in Sacramento: California lawmakers moved a number of bills forward before heading home tonight for a scheduled monthlong summer recess.

What do all those state AI task forces do, anyway? We dropped in on a meeting of the Washington State AI Task Force last week as they were discussing two proposed measures dealing with AI disclosure and AI training data transparency. It's time-intensive work, but the

Curious about what's in the Trump Administration's new AI Action Plan? We've got a resource page for you. Overview, full document, and more to come as the president's comments and a possible new EO are expected later today. transparencycoalition.ai/news/guide-ame…

We're excited to see young state legislators embracing the challenge of AI policy. Applause and respect to Vermont Rep. Monique Priestley and Utah Rep. Doug Fiefia for stepping up and leading this bipartisan Future Caucus task force. Rep. Fiefia and Rep. Priestley sponsored

It was a quiet week in the state capitols—but not in D.C., where two senators introduced the bipartisan AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act. Catch up on all the AI policy action every Friday in our AI Legislative Update. transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legisl…

A recent Human Change webinar on kids and AI companion chatbots was so compelling that we asked to excerpt and amplify it. The speakers Chris McKenna, Gaia Bernstein, and Daniel Barcay agreed, and we're thrilled to share their expertise and insights with our network. Among

More troubling evidence emerges around kids, chatbots, and the dangers of mixing the two: The parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old high school student who killed himself earlier this year, have filed suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging liability for Adam's suicide. The

In an extraordinary show of bipartisan agreement, AGs from 44 states released a warning to the nation’s biggest AI developers: Stop harming kids with your "predatory artificial intelligence products." * The letter went to the CEOs of OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Anthropic,

California lawmakers took an important step forward on Friday, approving the AI Abuse Act (SB 11) and sending the measure to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom Gavin Newsom. We're grateful to Sen. Angelique Ashby for her leadership on this issue, and urge Gov. Newsom to sign SB 11 into

This morning we're proud to announce the release of our 2025 State AI Legislation Report, a comprehensive guide to every new AI-related law enacted by state lawmakers this year. This 30-page guide includes overviews of the year's top AI issues and most notable new state laws,

Our CEO Rob Eleveld sat down recently with @ClarkWestmont for a lively conversation about AI accountability, product design, regulation and innovation: "Competition can happen inside guardrails. That’s what consumer protection does — it creates space for ethical companies to

Recent research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) is confirming what many have suspected: OpenAI's latest iteration of ChatGPT is actually less safe than the previous version. Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), spoke

Here's a timely reminder: AI developers are not burdened by thousands of competing state laws. At the Transparency Coalition we recently released a report on all 73 new AI-related state laws adopted in 2025. Not hundreds. Not thousands. 73. Most of them built on existing law