OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly attempted to speak with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the days before the state legislature advanced a bill intended to regulate how AI chatbots interact with children. The measure, known as SB 1119, passed on Monday but still requires Newsom’s signature before it can become law.
According to a new political report, Altman sought to weigh in on the legislation as lawmakers were finalizing changes. Newsom’s office and OpenAI have not fully clarified whether the two men spoke directly. A person familiar with the matter denied that Newsom and Altman had a direct conversation last week, while OpenAI said Newsom talked with a broad range of stakeholders.
What California’s SB 1119 would do
State Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan wrote the bill. It is aimed at companies that build conversational AI systems which can be accessed by minors. OpenAI and other AI firms would need to verify or estimate whether a user is below 18.
If the measure is signed, key requirements would include:
- Age determination for users before they can interact with a chatbot;
- Parental controls that allow adults to limit how much time minors spend with AI products;
- Independent audits of chatbot systems to assess their impact on children;
- A ban on advertising to minors that relies on personal information gathered during chats;
- A ban on selling or sharing data collected through conversations between a child and a chatbot; and
- Clear labeling when any ad is served, even if it is contextual and based only on the current interaction.
That distinction matters because AI chatbots are becoming increasingly commercial. Free products often depend on advertising or data collection, and children may not recognize when a chatbot response is effectively a pitch. By preserving narrowly defined contextual ads, the bill appears designed to protect kids from data mining without dismantling free access to AI tools.
The bill was amended last Friday to narrow some of the circumstances under which families could sue AI companies. Those changes were made shortly before the legislature voted, and they have drawn renewed
Source:Gizmodo News