Regulon — KS-HB-2671 · KS HB 2671 (Kansas CHAT Act

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 4 REQUIREMENT TYPES

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority

Attorney General enforcement under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, K.S.A. 50-623 et seq. A violation of this act constitutes a deceptive act under the KCPA. The person alleging a violation is deemed a consumer and the covered entity is deemed the supplier; proof of a consumer transaction is not required. The Attorney General is also empowered to adopt rules and regulations and to issue compliance guidance. A safe harbor exists for covered entities that relied in good faith on user-provided age information and complied with the Attorney General's guidance.

Private Right of Action

No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.

Penalties

Violations are enforced through the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (K.S.A. 50-623 et seq.), which provides remedies and penalties for deceptive acts. The bill itself does not specify independent statutory damages, punitive damages, or attorney's fees — the remedies available are those provided by the KCPA. The person alleging a violation is deemed a consumer and the covered entity is deemed the supplier; proof of a consumer transaction is not required.

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.

Statutory Text

Analysis & Obligations

Sec. 1

Short title

Sections 1 through 5, and amendments thereto, may be cited as the Kansas community harmed by AI technology act or the Kansas CHAT act.

Section 1 establishes the short title of the act as the "Kansas Community Harmed by AI Technology Act" or the "Kansas CHAT Act." This section creates no compliance obligations.

Sec. 2

Definitions

(a)–(h) As used in this act and unless the context requires otherwise: (a) "Act" means the Kansas community harmed by AI technology act. (b) "Companion AI chatbot" means any software-based artificial intelligence system or program that exists for the primary purpose of simulating interpersonal or emotional interaction, friendship, companionship or mental health therapeutic communication with a user. (c) "Covered entity" means any person that owns, operates or otherwise makes available a companion AI chatbot to individuals in the state of Kansas. (d) "Interaction" means one or more complete back-and-forth exchanges between a user and the companion AI chatbot during a single engagement. (e) "Minor" means any individual who has not attained 18 years of age. (f) "Popup" means a visible notification on the screen of a user that can be resolved if upon such user's interaction with such notification. (g) "Sexually explicit communication" includes any content, conversation or material that describes, depicts or encourages sexually explicit conduct as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2)(B), as in effect on July 1, 2026. (h) "Suicidal ideation" means, with respect to an interaction between a minor and a companion AI chatbot, any dialogue in which such minor expresses thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

Section 2 defines the key terms used throughout the act. Notable definitions include "companion AI chatbot" (software-based AI simulating interpersonal or emotional interaction, friendship, companionship, or mental health therapeutic communication), "covered entity" (any person that owns, operates, or makes available a companion AI chatbot in Kansas), and "suicidal ideation" (defined narrowly as dialogue in which a minor expresses thoughts of self-harm or suicide). The "sexually explicit communication" definition incorporates the federal definition at 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2)(B) as in effect on July 1, 2026.

Sec. 3

Covered entity obligations: accounts, age verification, minor protections, monitoring, and AI disclosure

Deployer

(a) 1 A covered entity shall require each individual accessing a companion AI chatbot to make a user account to use or otherwise interact with such chatbot.

(b)(1)(A)–(C) 2 With respect to each user account of a companion AI chatbot that exists as of July 1, 2026, a covered entity shall: (A) On such date, freeze any such account; (B) inform the individual owning such user account that in order to restore the functionality of such account, the user is required to provide age information that is verifiable using a commercially available method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure accuracy; and (C) use such age information to classify each user as a minor or an adult.

(b)(2)(A)–(B) 2 At the time that an individual creates a new user account to use or interact with a companion AI chatbot, a covered entity shall: (A) Require the individual to submit age information to the covered entity; and (B) verify the individual's age using a commercially available method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure accuracy.

(c)(1)–(2) 3 If the age verification process described in subsection (b) determines that a user is a minor, a covered entity shall: (1) Require the account of such user to be affiliated with a parental account that such covered entity has verified the individual's age using a commercially available method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure accuracy; (2) obtain verifiable parental consent from the holder of the account before allowing a minor to access and use the companion AI chatbot;

(c)(3) 4 when any interaction involving suicidal ideation occurs, block the minor's access to the companion AI chatbot and immediately inform the holder of the parental account;

(c)(4) 5 block the minor's access to any companion AI chatbot that engages in sexually explicit communication.

(d) 6 A covered entity shall protect the confidentiality of age information provided by a user for age verification by limiting the collection, processing, use and storage of such information to what is strictly necessary to verify a user's age, obtain verifiable parental consent or maintain compliance records.

(e) 7 A covered entity shall monitor companion AI chatbot interactions for suicidal ideation and, in response to any such interaction, provide to the user and the parental account affiliated with such user appropriate resources by presenting contact information for the national suicide prevention lifeline.

(f) 8 At the beginning of any interaction between a user and a companion AI chatbot and not less frequently than every 60 minutes during such interaction thereafter, a covered entity shall display to such user a clear popup that notifies the user that such user is not engaging in dialogue with a human counterpart and the AI chatbot is not licensed or otherwise credentialed to provide advice or guidance on any topic.

Section 3 is the operative core of the bill, imposing six distinct categories of obligations on covered entities. Subsection (a) mandates that all users must create user accounts before interacting with a companion AI chatbot. Subsection (b) requires age verification for both existing and new accounts using commercially available methods, with existing accounts frozen as of July 1, 2026 until verification is completed. Subsection (c) establishes heightened requirements when a user is determined to be a minor: parental account affiliation, verifiable parental consent, blocking access when suicidal ideation occurs (with immediate parental notification), and blocking access to sexually explicit communications.

Subsection (d) imposes data minimization requirements on age-verification information. Subsection (e) requires monitoring of all companion AI chatbot interactions for suicidal ideation and provision of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline resources to both the user and the affiliated parental account upon detection. Subsection (f) imposes an AI-identity disclosure obligation — a popup at the start of every interaction and at least every 60 minutes during any continuing interaction — that must also state the chatbot is not licensed or credentialed to provide advice.

Compliance actions 8 items

Covered entities must require every individual accessing a companion AI chatbot to create a user account before using or interacting with the chatbot.

MN-01.1

Covered entities must verify the age of every user using a commercially available method or process reasonably designed to ensure accuracy, and classify each user as a minor or an adult. For existing accounts as of July 1, 2026, covered entities must freeze the account, inform the user that age verification is required to restore functionality, and use the submitted age information to classify the user. For new accounts, covered entities must require submission of age information and verify the user's age at the time of account creation.

MN-01.1

Covered entities must, when a user is verified as a minor: (1) require the minor's account to be affiliated with a parental account whose holder's age has been verified using a commercially available method reasonably designed to ensure accuracy, and (2) obtain verifiable parental consent from the parental account holder before allowing the minor to access and use the companion AI chatbot.

MN-01.2

Covered entities must, when any interaction involving suicidal ideation occurs with a minor user, immediately block the minor's access to the companion AI chatbot and immediately inform the holder of the affiliated parental account.

MN-01.10

Covered entities must block minor users' access to any companion AI chatbot that engages in sexually explicit communication.

MN-01.6

Covered entities must protect the confidentiality of age information provided by users for age verification by limiting the collection, processing, use, and storage of such information to what is strictly necessary to verify a user's age, obtain verifiable parental consent, or maintain compliance records.

D-01.4

Covered entities must monitor all companion AI chatbot interactions for suicidal ideation and, upon detecting any such interaction, provide to both the user and the affiliated parental account appropriate resources by presenting contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

S-04.1

Covered entities must display to every user a clear popup at the beginning of any interaction with a companion AI chatbot, and at least every 60 minutes during any continuing interaction, notifying the user that (1) the user is not engaging in dialogue with a human counterpart and (2) the AI chatbot is not licensed or otherwise credentialed to provide advice or guidance on any topic.

T-01.1

Sec. 4

Attorney General guidance, enforcement, and rulemaking

(a) On or before December 31, 2026, the attorney general shall issue guidance to assist covered entities in complying with the requirements of this act.

(b)(1)–(3) A violation of this act by a covered entity shall constitute a deceptive act pursuant to the Kansas consumer protection act, K.S.A. 50-623 et seq., and amendments thereto. For purposes of the remedies and penalties provided by the Kansas consumer protection act: (2) The person alleging a violation of this section shall be deemed a consumer, and the covered entity that violates this section shall be deemed the supplier; and (3) proof of a consumer transaction shall not be required.

Section 4 establishes the enforcement framework. Subsection (a) directs the Attorney General to issue compliance guidance by December 31, 2026. Subsection (b) classifies any violation of the act as a deceptive act under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (K.S.A. 50-623 et seq.), deems the alleging person a consumer and the violating covered entity a supplier, and waives the consumer-transaction requirement. Subsection (c) grants the Attorney General rulemaking authority. The KCPA enforcement framework applies — the bill does not create an independent private right of action, though KCPA provisions may permit consumer suits under existing Kansas law.

Sec. 5

Safe harbor

(a)–(c) A covered entity shall not be deemed liable for a violation of this act if the covered entity has: (a) Relied in good faith on age information provided by a user of the companion AI chatbot for purposes of verifying the age of such user; (b) applied the age verification methods that the attorney general included in the guidance required to be issued pursuant to section 4, and amendments thereto; and (c) otherwise complied with the guidance described in section 4, and amendments thereto.

Section 5 establishes a safe harbor from liability for covered entities that satisfy three cumulative conditions: (1) good-faith reliance on user-provided age information, (2) application of the age-verification methods specified in the Attorney General's guidance issued under Section 4, and (3) general compliance with the Attorney General's guidance. This safe harbor modifies the enforcement of the obligations in Section 3 rather than creating independent compliance duties.

Sec. 6

Effective date

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book.

Section 6 provides that the act takes effect upon publication in the statute book. Kansas law requires publication in the Kansas statute book after the governor signs the bill, so the effective date is not a fixed calendar date but depends on the publication timeline.

Minor Safety Parental consent · controls · termination workflows

5 items

MN-01.1

Covered entities must require every individual accessing a companion AI chatbot to create a user account before using or interacting with the chatbot.

MN-01.1

MN-01.2