Lawmaker urges stricter rules on AI chatbots to protect children

A lawmaker speaking in a congressional proceeding urged stronger enforcement and clearer disclaimers for AI chatbots that simulate personal relationships, saying, "you are not interacting with a a live person." The speaker said companies should be held responsible when chatbots are designed to mimic romantic or personal interactions and called for narrowly tailored rules to prevent manipulation of children.

The lawmaker warned regulators are not keeping pace with the technology and that children are particularly vulnerable: "I have a son who's got special needs. He's on the autism spectrum. And this would be so easy for him to get manipulated from these type of interactions." He also flagged the possibility that such chatbots could be inserted into video games and said lawmakers should send a "strong message" that required disclaimers and enforcement are key. No formal motion or vote was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.