Regulon — VT-H-0783 · VT H 783 (Chatbot Disclosure)

H-0783

VT · State · USA

USA

● Pre-filed

Proposed Effective Date

2026-07-01

Vermont H.783 — An act relating to chatbot disclosure requirements

Vermont H.783 requires any person engaging in a commercial transaction or trade practice with a consumer to disclose that the consumer is interacting with a chatbot — not a human — whenever the chatbot could mislead a reasonable person into thinking they are communicating with an actual human. The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous. The obligation applies regardless of whether any consumer is actually misled. Violations are classified as unfair and deceptive acts in commerce under Vermont's existing Consumer Protection Act (9 V.S.A. § 2453), enforceable by the Attorney General. The bill is notably short and imposes a single, straightforward AI identity disclosure obligation scoped to commercial contexts.

Summary

Enforcement & Penalties

Enforcement Authority

Enforced by the Vermont Attorney General under the Vermont Consumer Protection Act (9 V.S.A. § 2453). Violations are classified as unfair and deceptive acts in commerce, triggering existing AG enforcement authority. No explicit private right of action is created by the bill itself; enforcement is agency-initiated under Vermont's existing consumer protection framework.

Penalties

Violations constitute unfair and deceptive acts in commerce under 9 V.S.A. § 2453, which incorporates the remedies available under Vermont's Consumer Protection Act including injunctive relief, civil penalties, and restitution as provided by that chapter. The bill itself does not specify independent penalty amounts.

Who Is Covered

What Is Covered

"chatbot" means any artificial intelligence, algorithmic, or automated system that generates information via text, audio, image, or video in a manner that simulates interpersonal interactions or conversation. "Chatbot" includes artificial intelligence agents, avatars, or other computer technology that engages in textual or aural conversations.

Compliance Obligations 2 obligations · click obligation ID to open requirement page

T-01 AI Identity Disclosure · T-01.1 · Deployer · Chatbot

9 V.S.A. § 2466e(a)

Plain Language

Any person operating a chatbot in a commercial transaction must provide clear and conspicuous notice to the consumer that they are interacting with a chatbot and not a human, whenever the chatbot could mislead a reasonable person into believing they are engaging with a human. The trigger is the reasonable-person standard — it does not matter whether any particular consumer was actually misled. The disclosure must be given before or at the point of interaction. This obligation is scoped to commercial transactions and trade practices only; non-commercial uses of chatbots are not covered.

Statutory Text

No person shall engage in a commercial transaction or trade practice with a consumer in which the consumer is communicating or otherwise interacting with a chatbot that may mislead or deceive a reasonable person to believe the person is engaging with an actual human, whether or not any consumer is in fact misled or deceived, unless the consumer is notified in a clear and conspicuous manner that the consumer is communicating with a chatbot and not an actual human being.

Other · Chatbot

9 V.S.A. § 2466e(c)

Plain Language

This provision classifies a failure to disclose chatbot status under subsection (a) as an unfair and deceptive act in commerce under Vermont's Consumer Protection Act (9 V.S.A. § 2453). It creates no new compliance obligation — it is an enforcement hook that imports the existing penalties, remedies, and enforcement mechanisms of the Consumer Protection Act.

Statutory Text

A person who violates subsection (a) of this section commits an unfair and deceptive act in commerce in violation of section 2453 of this title.