Gov. Newsom today announced that he has signed Senate Bill 243, legislation that adds guardrails to AI-powered chatbots that operate in the state.
The legislation had divided tech industry representatives and child safety advocates. Newsom left unsigned another bill regulating such bots, Assembly Bill 1064, which child advocates argued better protected kids.
Under SB 243, companies that offer chatbots, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, would be required to institute specific safeguards. Among those would be requirements to monitor chats for signs of suicidal ideation, and to take steps to prevent users from harming themselves, such as by referring them to outside mental health assistance…