New York prohibits minors from interacting with AI chatbots
New York Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Wednesday prohibiting minors from interacting with generative artificial intelligence companion chatbots, establishing the broadest state-level restriction of its kind in the United States.
Tech:NYC Criticizes Broad Scope of New York AI Law
The newly enacted statute applies broadly to the majority of generative artificial intelligence conversational robots currently available on the market. While states like California have previously enacted legislation regulating minor access to AI companions, none have matched the expansive scope adopted by New York policymakers. The technology sector’s representative body in New York, Tech:NYC, issued a strong rebuke following the signing. The organization criticized the legislation for utilizing vague language that raises serious questions regarding potential violations of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protecting freedom of speech.
When contacted by Agence France-Presse, both Anthropic and Google declined to offer immediate comment, while OpenAI directed inquiries to the statements released by Tech:NYC. Conversely, the organization Common Sense Media strongly endorsed the measure. Jim Steyer, director of the organization dedicated to protecting young audiences from negative technological impacts, praised the text as the strongest child AI safety law in the country and declared that New York made history by enacting it.
Chatbot Operators Must Verify Ages and Restrict Interface Features
Under the statutory framework, chatbot operators face strict compliance burdens. Companies must verify user ages and disable specific interface features if an individual is identified as a minor. The legislation explicitly forbids conversational robots from generating content that implies they are human, alive, or capable of experiencing human emotions. Bots are legally barred from framing interactions with young users as personal or professional relationships, nor are they permitted to assume a role of referent.
The text produced by the AI cannot be presented as a personal opinion. Chatbots are likewise prohibited from probing users about their psychological state or personal feelings.
Educational Risks and Compliance Challenges for Enterprises
Tech:NYC warned that restricting conversational AI interfaces could inadvertently cut minors off from critical learning utilities. The organization emphasized that the text might limit access to digital tutoring, homework assistance, and coding assistants essential for professional career preparation, while simultaneously increasing the risk of data exploitation targeting children.