HARRISBURG – As a member of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, Senator Joe Picozzi voted in support of legislation to establish commonsense safeguards for artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots accessible by minors.
Senate Bill 1090, the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology (SAFECHAT) Act would establish clear, age-appropriate standards for chatbots that minors interact with; require robust safeguards to prevent content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence against others; and require that users be directed to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected.
Multiple families have alleged in recent lawsuits that chatbot responses contributed to their teen’s death by suicide.
“As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more accessible to students, it is imperative that guardrails are put in place to protect our most vulnerable and impressionable users,” said Picozzi. “This bipartisan legislation clearly defines emerging technologies like chatbots and AI companions and increases transparency, so families know what their children are doing online.”
A recent risk assessment warns that AI “companion” bots can exacerbate mental health problems for kids, including risks related to self-harm. Clinical commentators have also flagged the dangers posed by unrestricted chatbot use, in which the tool itself can worsen a user’s condition, and called for stronger guardrails such as the ones included in Senate Bill 1090.
The SAFECHAT bill will be sent to the full Senate for consideration.