A bill that bans kids from using AI chatbots is gaining momentum

About this episode

The episode discusses the GUARD Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at banning kids under 18 from using AI chatbots, following concerning incidents involving teenagers and these technologies.

The GUARD Act is a bipartisan bill that would prohibit companies from letting kids under 18 interact with what the legislation calls "AI companions,” which are chatbots designed to encourage the simulation of an interpersonal relationship. This comes after some harrowing stories of teenagers who developed relationships with chatbots and then harmed themselves or others. The bill just passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes talks about this with Ashley Gold, a senior tech policy reporter at Axios.

People in this episode

Host: Stephanie Hughes

Guest: Ashley Gold

Topics covered

• AI chatbots
• legislation
• youth safety
• bipartisan bill
• technology policy

Keywords

• GUARD Act
• AI companions
• chatbots
• youth legislation
• technology news

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Axios, GUARD Act

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