Comment by Janet Kelly

The Alliance for a Better Future strongly supports the House introduction of the GUARD Act and commends Reps. Moore and Foushee for their focus on this critical issue. The remarkable breadth of chatbot capabilities makes the bill’s commonsense safeguards more necessary, not less. Chatbots can perform as a tutor, confidant, therapist, companion, and even, sadly, suicide coach — simultaneously, around the clock, and with sophisticated emotional attunement — posing emotional risks to children that are qualitatively different from any prior consumer technology. The risks are already real and urgent, with a rapidly-growing body count. The GUARD Act is a needed measure that will protect American families, preserve constitutional freedoms, and position the U.S. to lead in artificial intelligence.