legislation<\/a> in June to protect our kids from AI-powered chatbots with unsafe features. We urge Gov. Hochul to sign it as passed.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s no secret that the AI conversation has reached a fever pitch \u2014 with now daily stories about AI\u2019s existential risk and loud and well-resourced interests on all sides of the equation. It\u2019s confusing, and it\u2019s overwhelming, but as we grapple with these existential questions about our future, we must address the very real, present-day risks AI technology poses to our youth and their safety online. That is why we worked so hard to pass our bill, and that is why it is so important that it be signed into law now.<\/p>\n
The story of Adam Raine\u2019s use of ChatGPT that, according to a lawsuit against OpenAI, led to his suicide is tragic. But it showed a vulnerability relatable to all parents: a teenager struggling to understand how they fit in, their body and mind changing, and looking for acceptance in an increasingly difficult world. As so many of us do in 2026, kids are turning to AI-powered solutions created by companies that are motivated by profit, not safety. And when unsafe features are built into the tools our kids use to learn, grow, play, and develop, we put their well-being and their lives at risk.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, we worked with our Democratic and Republican colleagues in the state Senate and Assembly to pass legislation that will require AI chatbot companies \u2014 like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, X, and others \u2014 to restrict the very kinds of harmful design features that led Adam Raine and several other teenagers to take their own lives. Our bill requires companies to make the safety of kids a top priority. That means shifting incentives that keep kids hooked and prohibiting companies from allowing minors to access chatbots that promote dangerous activities like self-harm, sexualized play, or even suicide.<\/p>\n
AG Tish James partnered with us on this effort to ensure these new rules are legally sound and can be updated in the future. More than 20 organizations statewide support the bill, including teacher unions, mental health practitioners, social workers, and advocacy groups powered by the voices of everyday New York parents and kids.<\/p>\n
It feels like AI is a race beyond our control and the technology is imposed on us, not done alongside us, and certainly not for us. But we are not powerless, and there is so much lawmakers can do to protect our families and the most vulnerable among us.<\/p>\n
With the stroke of a pen, the governor can keep kids safe from AI\u2019s most predatory features and continue to grow New York\u2019s role as a responsible leader of the AI revolution. We must build a future that maximizes technology\u2019s opportunity, one that articulates a clear vision for people and where people have a say, and one that safeguards against AI\u2019s greatest threats to humanity\u2019s future: our children.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez, a state senator, and Bores, an assemblyman, are the prime sponsors of the bill to ban risky AI-powered chatbots directed at children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just like artificial intelligence itself, concerns about AI are everywhere. In the absence of federal action, lawmakers in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63,299],"class_list":["post-375559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}