\n<\/p>\n
As the mother of a teenage boy who committed suicide after using a chatbot, Maria Raine said she struggled with constant grief. <\/p>\n
\u201cLoss is never easy,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I have to advocate for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
So on Monday, he spoke before a crowd of reporters with the goal of regulating the human-like computer programs his son once trusted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to put guardrails on these products,\u201d Rhines said at a news conference in Sacramento on Monday.<\/p>\n
Legislation, Assembly Bill 2023<\/a> And Senate Bill 1119<\/a>Operators of so-called companion chatbots will be required to conduct and document a comprehensive risk assessment each year to identify hazards to minors posed by the design or configuration of the product. The operators shall submit an independent audit of compliance with those provisions, and the auditor shall send a report to the Attorney General. The bill would authorize public prosecutors to enforce the measures with civil actions. <\/p>\n A companion chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversations to provide entertainment or emotional support to users. It can also retrieve and summarize information, and many students use technology to help them study or school work. <\/p>\n California State Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) said, “This technology is relatively new, but anecdotal and scholarly evidence shows that the impact of these interactions between chatbots and users, particularly youth, can be extremely dangerous.” <\/p>\n \u201cCompanion chatbots don\u2019t have the same capacity for empathy as a human,\u201d Padilla said, \u201cand yet the nature of the technology can create this perception.\u201d<\/p>\n The law would also require operators to provide “explicit referrals” to crisis resources if a minor has expressed suicidal thoughts or intent to harm themselves. If that child’s account is linked to the parent’s account, it will instruct operators to notify the parent within 24 hours. <\/p>\n