On September 10 (local time), the California State Assembly in the United States approved Bill SB 243, which is designed to impose strict regulations on AI chatbots. This bill garnered bipartisan support during the vote and has now been forwarded to the State Senate. A decisive final vote is scheduled to take place this coming Friday.
Should the governor put pen to paper and sign the bill into law, it will officially come into force on January 1, 2026. Once enacted, California will set a precedent as the first state in the United States to mandate that operators of AI chatbots put in place comprehensive safety protocols. Moreover, companies that fall short of meeting these established standards will be held legally accountable.