(WHTM) \u2014 After a group of students told Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) they were turning to AI to talk about their mental health, he gathered his staff in his office and downloaded a chatbot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe began to engage in a conversation with it,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cI said in the chat, \u2018I\u2019m struggling with my mental health. Are you someone that I can talk to?\u201d<\/p>\n
Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n The chatbot, which he did not identify, told him yes. When the governor pressed on whether it was a licensed mental health professional, the chatbot moved to alleviate his concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a licensed mental health professional in Pennsylvania,\u201d the governor recalled the chatbot responding.<\/p>\n The experience troubled Shapiro and led him to request that Secretary of State Al Schmidt, whose department oversees professional licensing in the state, open an investigation. During an AI roundtable discussion on Friday, the two announced an AI Enforcement Task Force at the Department of State to look into whether chatbots are engaging in unlicensed practice.<\/p>\n Pennsylvanians can now submit possible violations<\/a> through the state\u2019s licensing system, a process once used to report unlicensed notaries or nurses. There\u2019s no actual field on the form to check that the complaint is about a chatbot, so a notice says to enter an AI system as a person.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sign of how fast AI is advancing. Lawmakers at both the federal and state levels are struggling to keep pace, and so are the young minds being exposed to the technology.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just like being thrown out right now,\u201d said Laila King, a high school senior who attended the roundtable. \u201cThere\u2019s no rules, no restrictions. It\u2019s just kind of thrown to us, and we\u2019re allowed to use it essentially however we want.\u201d<\/p>\n Shapiro has made safeguards for AI a policy pillar as he enters the final year of his first term. He outlined a plan to rein in the technology<\/a> during his budget address this month before lawmakers.<\/p>\n His proposal would require chatbots to remind users they aren\u2019t talking to a real human, and to report when children mention self-harm or violence against others. He also said he wants to require age verification and parental consent for the products.<\/p>\n Lawmakers could also ban cellphones in K-12 schools<\/a> this year, which Shapiro supports.<\/p>\n \u201cThis space is evolving rapidly,\u201d Shapiro said during the address. \u201cWe need to act quickly to protect our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Shapiro is on the same page with Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican who hasn\u2019t always agreed with his predecessor. Sunday leads a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general requesting AI companies share how they protect children and the public from harm.<\/p>\n Large majority of Pennsylvania voters support school cellphone ban, poll shows <\/a><\/p>\n Pennsylvania also criminalized AI-generated child sex abuse material in 2024, and the attorney general\u2019s office has already prosecuted cases under the statute.<\/p>\n Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV devices<\/a>, and newer Samsung Smart TVs.<\/a><\/p>\n And Sunday opposed President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order last year that prohibited states from making their own laws restricting AI<\/a>. Like Shapiro, Sunday said states must do everything they can to encourage AI development, but keeping Pennsylvanians safe is his priority.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n