Ohio bill threatens fines for AI chatbots that encourage harm of self or of others

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bipartisan bill in the Ohio House would allow graduated penalties against developers and owners of artificial intelligence models that encourage people to harm themselves or others.

The bill makes Ohio the latest state looking to prevent AI harms, especially against children, in the absence of a federal law requiring AI chatbots to help when someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

Recent news stories have highlighted heartbreaking instances about people who died by suicide, aided by AI chatbots.

Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, which backs House Bill 524, cited a recent Common Sense Media report that found over half of teens use AI at least a few times a month. And 12% of teens use AI for emotional or mental health support.

 At least four Ohio children in recent years have used AI to write suicide notes, said Rep. Christine Cockley, a Columbus Democrat and bill sponsor.

 “That is four too many,” she said.

 HB 524 would impose graduated penalties, including:

 -- The state attorney general would be authorized to investigate any alleged violation of the law.

 -- The AG could give the person under investigation an opportunity to cease and desist from any suspected violations and would allow the investigation to be terminated upon receipt of a written assurance of voluntary compliance.

 -- The AG could file a civil lawsuit against the suspected violator for injunctive relief, damages and civil penalties.

 -- Courts would be authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for each violation.

 -- Lawsuits could be filed for up to six years after a violation occurs.

 -- The AG would deposit any money won in court in the 9-8-8 Fund, which supports the state’s Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

 Coder, Cockley and Rep. Ty Mathews, a Findlay Republican also sponsoring the bill, said AI presents an exciting future. They want the industry to thrive and help humanity. At the same time, developers of the language models can protect vulnerable Ohioans, they said.

 “We are not trying to prohibit innovation in the state of Ohio, but we need to let Ohioans know we are fighting for you at the Statehouse to protect the mental health of our children and our adults,” Mathews said.

Ohio is one of several states looking to require AI chatbots to pass mental health information to people who are struggling. California, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Utah have passed laws regulating AI use for mental health purposes, including requiring chatbots to disclose they’re not human, according to reporting by Stateline.

 To prevent a patchwork of regulations across the states, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December.

 It states his administration “must act with the Congress to ensure that there is a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant state ones. The resulting framework must forbid state laws that conflict with the policy set forth in this order. That framework should also ensure that children are protected, censorship is prevented, copyrights are respected, and communities are safeguarded. A carefully crafted national framework can ensure that the United States wins the AI race, as we must.”

 Congress has held hearings on the issue of teen suicide and chatbots. The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry about the potential harm for children of chatbots that act as companions, which are known as “AI companions.”

 But thus far, no bill has been passed. Conservative and liberal states continue to look at passing their own bills.

 Cockley said she wants to continue pushing HB 524

 Mathews said that if Congress passes a bill, HB 524 could align with it.