New York Bans Unsafe AI Chatbots for Minors

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law on October 28 prohibiting the provision of unsafe AI chatbot services to minors. The legislation requires companies to implement age verification mechanisms and imposes heavy financial penalties for violations. This law addresses growing concerns over the psychological impacts of AI companions on teenagers, setting a major precedent for state-level AI regulation and child safety. It forces tech companies operating in the region to drastically change how they handle minor users and verify age. Unsafe AI services are defined as those impersonating humans, creating emotional dependency, or encouraging self-harm, suicide, isolation, and sexually explicit content. Violators face civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, along with potential remedies like data deletion and destruction of AI models trained on illegally gathered data.