Laws & Statutes › NY › NY-A-09317
A-09317
NY · State · USA
NY
USA
● Pending
Proposed Effective Date
2025-12-10
New York Assembly Bill 9317 — An Act to amend the general business law, in relation to regulation of companion chatbots
Requires any person or business entity operating a companion chatbot in New York to display a clear and conspicuous warning that the chatbot can foster dependency and carries a psychological risk. The warning must be placed prominently on the hosting website and must be available in any language in which the chatbot communicates. The bill does not specify an enforcement mechanism, penalties, or a private right of action. It would take effect immediately upon enactment.
Passage Likelihood
Low
Chamber No passage
Committee No action
Majority party Yes
Bipartisan No
Prior session None
Legislative History
2025-12-10 committee referral referred to science and technology
2026-01-07 committee referral referred to science and technology
Mapped Requirements
S-02 Prohibited Conduct & Output Restrictions
Official Sources
Full Text ↗
Entry Last Reviewed
2026-03-28
AI generated
Summary

Requires any person or business entity operating a companion chatbot in New York to display a clear and conspicuous warning that the chatbot can foster dependency and carries a psychological risk. The warning must be placed prominently on the hosting website and must be available in any language in which the chatbot communicates. The bill does not specify an enforcement mechanism, penalties, or a private right of action. It would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Enforcement & Penalties
Enforcement Authority
No enforcement authority or mechanism is specified in the bill. The provision would be codified in the General Business Law (§ 399-bbbb), which is generally enforced by the New York Attorney General under Executive Law § 63(12) and potentially actionable under New York's consumer protection framework (GBL § 349), but no specific enforcement mechanism, designated agency, or private right of action is created by this bill.
Penalties
No penalties, damages, or remedies are specified in the bill. Enforcement remedies would depend on the Attorney General's general enforcement powers under existing law or potential indirect private claims under GBL § 349.
Who Is Covered
What Is Covered
"companion chatbot" means a chatbot that is designed to provide human-like interaction that simulates an interpersonal relationship with a user or group of users as its primary function, or uses previous user interactions when simulating an interpersonal relationship in future interactions. An interpersonal relationship shall include, but shall not be limited to, romantic, platonic, familial, adversarial, professional, official, therapeutic, or stranger relationships that are between the covered user and a fictional or non-fictional character or group of characters.
Compliance Obligations 1 obligation · click obligation ID to open requirement page
S-02 Prohibited Conduct & Output Restrictions · S-02.10 · Deployer · Chatbot
Gen. Bus. Law § 399-bbbb(2)
Plain Language
Any person or business entity operating a companion chatbot in New York must display a clear, conspicuous warning on the hosting website stating that the chatbot can foster dependency and carries a psychological risk. The warning must be prominent — not buried in terms of service — and must be provided in every language the chatbot is configured to use. This is a mandatory safety risk disclosure obligation that applies to all operators regardless of size. The bill does not specify required warning language beyond the substance (dependency risk and psychological risk), leaving operators some discretion in exact phrasing provided both risk categories are addressed.
Statutory Text
Any person, corporation, partnership, sole proprietor, limited partnership, association or any other business entity operating a companion chatbot in the state of New York shall include a clear and conspicuous warning that such companion chatbot can foster dependency and carries a psychological risk. Such warning shall be placed prominently on the website hosting such companion chatbot and be made available in any language in which the companion chatbot is set to communicate.