California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with attorneys general from 44 states and territories, has issued a letter to 12 leading artificial intelligence companies following reports of sexually inappropriate interactions between AI chatbots and children. The letter emphasizes that these companies are being closely watched regarding their policies on AI safety and have legal responsibilities to protect children using their products.
“As the fourth largest economy in the world, California knows that protecting our kids and pursuing innovation go hand in hand — they are not diametrically opposed. When faced with the decision about how their products treat children, the companies developing and deploying AI technologies must exercise sound judgment and prioritize children’s well-being,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Exposing children to sexualized content is indefensible. Full stop. This is an easy, clear, and non-negotiable line for companies leading revolutionary emerging technology, like AI. Today, I am proud to send a strong message alongside attorneys general across the nation — and across the aisle: AI companies who make choices that lead their technology to harm children will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The letter was addressed to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Google, Luka Inc., Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and xAI.
Attorney General Bonta’s action aligns with previous efforts to regulate technology affecting young people. In recent years he has filed lawsuits against Meta and TikTok over claims that both platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users at a cost to their mental and physical health.
Earlier this year Bonta also released two legal advisories reminding consumers of their rights under California law when it comes to artificial intelligence use by businesses or healthcare entities. Despite rapid advances in AI technology, existing state laws still apply.
Bonta has also voiced opposition in letters sent to Congress against proposed federal measures that would prevent states from enforcing regulations on artificial intelligence systems for ten years. The proposal was rejected by lawmakers in July.
In 2024 Bonta submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission concerning how new forms of AI could affect consumer protections related to robocalls or robotexts. In 2023 he joined a bipartisan coalition urging Congress to create an expert commission focused on preventing child exploitation through artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
A copy of today’s letter is available online.
