The Colorado State Capitol is framed by buildings along Sherman Street Friday, June 27, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Twelve states now have passed laws aimed at reducing potential risks associated with “companion chatbots,” particularly for minors. Although the terminology for these products varies, these “companion bot laws” are already in effect in New York, California, and Hawaii, while similar laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington will take effect in 2027.The 12 companion bot laws share several common regulatory themes across jurisdictions. Lawmakers have focused on disclosures regarding AI interactions, safeguards for minor users, crisis-intervention protocols, and prohibiting misrepresentations relating to licensed professional services. The laws are not substantively identical, however, with significant differences in both product coverage and the specific obligations or prohibitions applicable to bot providers in a given state.Scope of coverageAll of the companion bot laws regulate AI systems that engage users through ongoing conversational interactions. Most of them restrict coverage to bots that exhibit anthropomorphic features and sustain relationships across multiple interactions. The laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, and Nebraska have broader language that cover any bot that “simulates human conversation and interaction” through text, audio or video. With the exception of…

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