S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6767
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
March 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. VANEL -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Consumer Affairs and Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to artificial
intelligence companion models (Part __);
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
PART __
Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new article
47 to read as follows:
ARTICLE 47
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANION MODELS
SECTION. 1700. DEFINITIONS.
1701. PROHIBITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.
1702. NOTIFICATIONS.
1703. ENFORCEMENT.
1704. SEVERABILITY.
§ 1700. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE, THE FOLLOWING TERMS
SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
1. "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE", "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY", OR
"AI" MEANS A MACHINE-BASED SYSTEM THAT CAN, FOR A GIVEN SET OF HUMAN-DE-
FINED OBJECTIVES, MAKE PREDICTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, OR DECISIONS INFLU-
ENCING REAL OR VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS, AND THAT USES MACHINE- AND HUMAN-
BASED INPUTS TO PERCEIVE REAL AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS, ABSTRACT SUCH
PERCEPTIONS INTO MODELS THROUGH ANALYSIS IN AN AUTOMATED MANNER, AND USE
MODEL INFERENCE TO FORMULATE OPTIONS FOR INFORMATION OR ACTION.
2. "GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE" MEANS A CLASS OF AI MODELS
THAT ARE SELF-SUPERVISED AND EMULATE THE STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS
OF INPUT DATA TO GENERATE DERIVED SYNTHETIC CONTENT, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, IMAGES, VIDEOS, AUDIO, TEXT, AND OTHER DIGITAL CONTENT.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10829-01-5
A. 6767 2
3. "AI MODEL" MEANS A COMPONENT OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT IMPLE-
MENTS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY AND USES COMPUTATIONAL, STATIS-
TICAL, OR MACHINE-LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO PRODUCE OUTPUTS FROM A GIVEN
SET OF INPUTS.
4. "AI COMPANION" MEANS A SYSTEM USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, GENER-
ATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND/OR EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION ALGORITHMS
TO SIMULATE SOCIAL HUMAN INTERACTION, BY RETAINING INFORMATION ON PRIOR
INTERACTIONS AND USER PREFERENCE, ASKING QUESTIONS, PROVIDING ADVICE,
AND ENGAGING IN SIMULATED CONVERSATION ON MATTERS OF PERSONAL WELL-BE-
ING. "AI COMPANION" SHALL NOT INCLUDE ANY SYSTEM USED BY A BUSINESS
ENTITY SOLELY INTENDED TO PROVIDE USERS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT AVAILABLE
COMMERCIAL SERVICES OR PRODUCTS, CUSTOMER ACCOUNT INFORMATION, OR OTHER
INFORMATION RELATED TO A USER'S CUSTOMER, OR POTENTIAL CUSTOMER,
RELATIONSHIP WITH SUCH BUSINESS ENTITY.
5. "OPERATOR" MEANS ANY PERSON, PARTNERSHIP, ASSOCIATION, FIRM, OR
BUSINESS ENTITY, OR ANY MEMBER, AFFILIATE, SUBSIDIARY OR BENEFICIAL
OWNER OF ANY PARTNERSHIP, ASSOCIATION, FIRM, OR BUSINESS ENTITY WHO
OPERATES OR PROVIDES AN AI COMPANION.
6. "PERSON" MEANS ANY NATURAL PERSON.
7. "EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION ALGORITHMS" MEANS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
THAT DETECTS AND INTERPRETS HUMAN EMOTIONAL SIGNALS IN TEXT (USING
NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND SENTIMENT ANALYSIS), AUDIO (USING VOICE
EMOTION AI), VIDEO (USING FACIAL MOVEMENT ANALYSIS, GAIT ANALYSIS, OR
PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS), OR A COMBINATION THEREOF.
8. "USER" MEANS ANY PERSON WHO USES AN AI COMPANION WITHIN THE STATE
AND WHO IS NOT AN OPERATOR OR AGENT OR AFFILIATE OF THE OPERATOR OF THE
AI COMPANION.
§ 1701. PROHIBITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. IT SHALL BE UNLAWFUL FOR ANY
OPERATOR TO OPERATE OR PROVIDE AN AI COMPANION TO A USER UNLESS SUCH AI
COMPANION CONTAINS A PROTOCOL FOR ADDRESSING: 1. POSSIBLE SUICIDAL IDEA-
TION OR SELF-HARM EXPRESSED BY A USER TO THE AI COMPANION, 2. POSSIBLE
PHYSICAL HARM TO OTHERS EXPRESSED BY A USER TO THE AI COMPANION, AND 3.
POSSIBLE FINANCIAL HARM TO OTHERS EXPRESSED BY THE USER TO THE AI
COMPANION, THAT INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, A NOTIFICATION TO THE
USER THAT REFERS THEM TO CRISIS SERVICE PROVIDERS SUCH AS A SUICIDE
HOTLINE, CRISIS TEXT LINE, OR OTHER APPROPRIATE CRISIS SERVICES.
§ 1702. NOTIFICATIONS. AN OPERATOR SHALL PROVIDE A NOTIFICATION TO A
USER AT THE BEGINNING OF ANY AI COMPANION INTERACTION AND AT LEAST EVERY
THREE HOURS FOR CONTINUING AI COMPANION INTERACTIONS THEREAFTER, WHICH
STATES EITHER VERBALLY OR IN BOLD AND CAPITALIZED LETTERS OF AT LEAST
SIXTEEN POINT TYPE, THE FOLLOWING:
"THE AI COMPANION (OR NAME OF THE AI COMPANION) IS A COMPUTER PROGRAM
AND NOT A HUMAN BEING. IT IS UNABLE TO FEEL HUMAN EMOTION".
§ 1703. ENFORCEMENT. ANY PERSON WHO WAS PHYSICALLY INJURED THROUGH
SELF-HARM OR WAS PHYSICALLY OR FINANCIALLY HARMED BY ANOTHER AS A RESULT
OF A VIOLATION OF SECTION SEVENTEEN HUNDRED ONE OR SEVENTEEN HUNDRED TWO
OF THIS ARTICLE MAY BRING AN ACTION IN A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION
FOR DAMAGES, EQUITABLE RELIEF, AND SUCH OTHER REMEDIES AS THE COURT MAY
DEEM APPROPRIATE.
§ 1704. SEVERABILITY. IF ANY CLAUSE, SENTENCE, PARAGRAPH, SUBDIVISION,
SECTION OR PART OF THIS ACT SHALL BE ADJUDGED BY ANY COURT OF COMPETENT
JURISDICTION TO BE INVALID, SUCH JUDGMENT SHALL NOT AFFECT, IMPAIR, OR
INVALIDATE THE REMAINDER THEREOF, BUT SHALL BE CONFINED IN ITS OPERATION
TO THE CLAUSE, SENTENCE, PARAGRAPH, SUBDIVISION, SECTION OR PART THEREOF
DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CONTROVERSY IN WHICH SUCH JUDGMENT SHALL HAVE
BEEN RENDERED. IT IS HEREBY DECLARED TO BE THE INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE
A. 6767 3
THAT THIS ACT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENACTED EVEN IF SUCH INVALID PROVISIONS
HAD NOT BEEN INCLUDED HEREIN.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law.