Audio of this conversation is available via your favorite podcast service.State legislatures across the United States are actively developing new laws on a range of issues related to artificial intelligence. In Virginia, that process is informed by an entity established by the Virginia General Assembly called the Joint Commission on Technology and Science. To learn more about the Joint Commission and some of its recent work on AI chatbots, I spoke to its chief policy analyst, Dr. Kira Allmann.What follows is a lightly edited transcript of the discussion.The landmark front entrance of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, the historic seat of the commonwealth government, on April 18, 2025. ShutterstockKira Allmann:I'm Kira Allmann. I'm the chief policy analyst for the Joint Commission on Technology and Science in the Virginia General Assembly.Justin Hendrix:Kira, I am pleased to speak to you as a native Virginian myself to learn a little bit more about what you do, but also to learn a little bit more about your recent work on companion chatbots. And I want to talk to you a little bit about the reports that you've produced recently, but in particular, I think for my listeners, might be helpful just to describe what JCOTS is, this joint commission on technology and science and what role it plays in lawmaking in Virginia.Kira Allmann:Sure. So JCOTS is a permanent legislative agency that produces research and analysis for legislators in the state of Virginia and the…

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