California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark bill on Monday that regulates AI companion chatbots , making it the first state in the nation to require AI chatbot operators to implement safety protocols for AI companions.

The law, SB 243, is designed to protect children and vulnerable users from some of the harms associated with AI companion chatbot use. It holds companies — from the big labs like Meta and OpenAI to more focused companion startups like Character AI and Replika — legally accountable if their chatbots fail to meet the law’s standards.

SB 243 was introduced in January by state senators Steve Padilla and Josh Becker, and gained momentum after the death of teenager Adam Raine , who died by suicide after a long series of suicidal conversations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

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