Comment by Gavin Newsom

This bill would prohibit making a companion chatbot available to users under 18 years of age, unless the chatbot is not foreseeably capable of certain actions. [...] While I strongly support the author’s goal of establishing necessary safeguards for the safe use of AI by minors, AB 1064 imposes such broad restrictions on the use of conversational AI tools that it may unintentionally lead to a total ban on the use of these products by minors. AI is already shaping the world, and it is imperative that adolescents learn how to safely interact with AI systems. This extends far beyond knowing how to use technology tools, such as conversational chatbots, and includes an understanding of what AI is, how it functions, and how to critically evaluate AI-generated content for algorithmic bias, misinformation, and other risks. We cannot prepare our youth for a future where AI is ubiquitous by preventing their use of these tools altogether. The types of interactions that this bill seeks to address are abhorrent, and I am fully committed to finding the right approach to protect children from these harms in a manner that does not effectively ban the use of the technology altogether.