WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 3 REQUIREMENT TYPES
How Is This Bill Enforced
Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.
(a) 1 If a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human, an operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c) shall issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) is artificially generated and not human.
(b)(1)–(2) 2 An operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c) shall prevent a companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) on its companion chatbot platformCompanion chatbot platform"Companion chatbot platform" means a platform that allows a user to engage with companion chatbots.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(b) from engaging with users unless the operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c) maintains a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user, including, but not limited to, by providing a notification to the user that refers the user to crisis service providers, including a suicide hotline or crisis text line, if the user expresses suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm. (2) The operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c) shall publish details on the protocol required by this subdivision on the operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c)'s internet website.
(c)(1) 3 When an operatorOperator"Operator" means a person who makes a companion chatbot platform available to a user in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(c) has actual knowledge that a user is a minor, they shall do all of the following: (1) Disclose to the user that the user is interacting with artificial intelligence.
(c)(2) 4 Provide by default a clear and conspicuous notification to the user at least every three hours for continuing companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) interactions that reminds the user to take a break and that the companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) is artificially generated and not human.
(c)(3) 5 Prevent its companion chatbotCompanion chatbot"Companion chatbot" means an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to a user across one or more sessions.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22601(a) from producing or facilitating the exchange of material of sexually explicit conduct or directly stating that the minor should engage in sexually explicit conduct.
Section 22602, as amended by SB 300, carries forward the three core obligation categories from SB 243: (a) conditional AI identity disclosure when a reasonable person could be misled, (b) a crisis protocol prerequisite for chatbot engagement plus public posting of that protocol, and (c) heightened obligations when the operator has actual knowledge a user is a minor.
SB 300 makes two substantive changes. The knowledge trigger in subsection (c) is changed from knows to has actual knowledge. The legislative digest describes this as a broadening to constructive knowledge, but the operative text uses the term actual knowledge, which in standard legal usage is a narrower, not broader, standard. This tension between the digest and the operative text warrants close attention. Second, subsection (c)(3) replaces the qualified duty to institute reasonable measures to prevent sexually explicit content with an absolute duty to prevent the chatbot from producing or facilitating the exchange of sexually explicit material or proposing sexually explicit conduct to minors — a materially stricter obligation.