California lawmakers have passed a pair of bills that would put in place some of the first guardrails on ChatGPT and other generative AI chatbots, prompted by a string of recent incidents that have increasingly concerned consumer advocates and policymakers about the technology’s potential harm to children.

Senate Bill 243 pushes chatbot developers to help users of all ages who are having suicidal thoughts and to help kids limit their use of such systems. Assembly Bill 1064 goes further, essentially banning developers from offering chatbots to kids unless they can ensure they won’t cause a whole slew of harm, including encouraging kids to commit self-harm.

While the bills — which are now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk to sign or veto — have some overlap, they are distinct, and each offers

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