Washington State Passes AI Companion Chatbot Law

Washington state has joined a handful of other states with laws that require disclosure to consumers if they are interacting with a chatbot. Other, broader, chatbot laws exist in California, Maine, New Jersey and Utah. Unlike the new Washington law, though, they are not aimed at AI companions. Washington's law will go into effect on January 1, 2027, and has provisions aimed at both adults and children.

The law applies to those who provide AI companions, rather than chatbots more generally. An AI companion chatbot is defined to include an AI system that creates a "sustained human-like relationship with a user." It does not include systems that are used only for customer service, productivity, education, in-game chats, and the like. Under the law, companies will need to disclose to users that they are interacting with AI, not a human. That notice has to appear bot at the beginning of the interaction, as well as every three hours during "continued interaction." Those who provide these