---
title: SB 540. Online Internet Safety; certain disclosures related to conversational AI services; require
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb540
cite_as: SB 540, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb540
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb540.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb540/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73452
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1521
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb540.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 540
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2027-07-01
sponsors:
- Jason Anavitarte
- Larry Walker
- Shawn Still
- Brian Strickland
- Ben Watson
- Marty Harbin
- Jason T. Dickerson
- Timothy Bearden
- Todd Jones
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB540/2025
upstream_id: 2120609
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- artificial intelligence regulation
- online safety for minors
- AI chatbots
- internet privacy
- suicide prevention
---
# SB 540. Online Internet Safety; certain disclosures related to conversational AI services; require
## Text
Senate Bill 540
By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Walker III of the 20th, Still of the 48th, Strickland of the
42nd, Watson of the 1st and others
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 5 of Title 39 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to online
internet safety, so as to require certain disclosures related to AI companion chatbots; to
require the operators of AI companion chatbots to perform age verification in certain
circumstances; to provide for AI companion chatbots operated by licensed mental health,
behavioral health, medical, or counseling professionals; to provide for certain privacy tools;
to require operators to adopt a protocol for an AI companion chatbot's response to suicidal
ideation or self-harm; to provide for enforcement by the Attorney General; to provide for
exceptions; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an
effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 5 of Title 39 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to online internet
safety, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"39-5-6.
(a) As used in this chapter, the term:
(1)(A) 'AI companion chatbot' means a system using artificial intelligence, generative
artificial intelligence, or emotional recognition algorithms designed to simulate a
sustained human or human-like relationship with a user by:
(i) Retaining information on prior interactions or user sessions and user preferences
to personalize the interaction and facilitate ongoing engagement with the companion
chatbot;
(ii) Asking unprompted or unsolicited emotion based questions that go beyond a
direct response to a user prompt; and
(iii) Sustaining an ongoing dialogue concerning matters personal to the user.
(B) Such term shall not include:
(i) A generative artificial intelligence system used solely for a business's internal
purposes;
(ii) A generative artificial intelligence system designed and marketed primarily for
software development, research, technical assistance, or enterprise productivity;
(iii) A customer-service chatbot that either does not sustain a relationship across
multiple interactions or is not designed to elicit emotional attachment;
(iv) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and
voice-command interface or virtual assistant and is not designed to sustain a
relationship across multiple interactions and is not designed to elicit emotional
attachment;
(v) A narrowly tailored educational tool designed solely to support specific
curriculum aligned learning objectives and not to provide open ended conversational
companionship;
(vi) A nonplayer character in a video game or video game chatbot that is restricted
to the subject matter of the video game and is not capable of open ended
companionship or discussion of self-harm, suicide, or sexually explicit conduct; or
(vii) Any system that is a feature of a video game, or related to a film, television, or
other audiovisual work, or used in connection with a theme park or location based
entertainment and is limited to replies related to such video game, film, television
program, or audiovisual work, and does not discuss topics related to mental health,
self-harm, or material harmful to minors or maintain a dialogue on other topics
unrelated to such video game, film, television program, other audiovisual work, or
theme park or location based entertainment venue.
(C) For purposes of this paragraph, the term 'human' or 'human-like relationship'
includes, but shall not be limited to, intimate, romantic, or platonic interactions or
companionship.
(2) 'Chatbot' means a generative artificial intelligence system with a natural language
interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs, including through
anthropomorphic features.
(3) 'Generative artificial intelligence system' means a computer based system that uses
machine learning or similar techniques involving large language models or deep learning
models trained on one or more datasets that is intended to generate, with some degree of
autonomy, synthetic content, including, but not limited to, images, videos, audio, text,
and other digital content, which emulates the structure and characteristics of such
datasets.
(4) 'Minor' means an individual who is less than 18 years of age.
(5) 'Operator' means a person that owns, controls, or develops and makes available an
AI companion chatbot to users in this state.
(6) 'Parent' means an individual who is the parent or legal guardian of a minor.
(7) 'Parental controls' means features that enable parents to support a minor's use of an
AI companion chatbot, including through usage limits, feature restrictions, or
transparency tools.
(8) 'Severe harm' means significant injury due to suicide, attempted suicide, self-harm,
or significant physical injury due to threats of violence.
(9) 'Sexually explicit conduct' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section
16-12-100.
(10) 'User' means an individual who interacts with an AI companion chatbot for personal
use.
(b)(1) An operator shall clearly and conspicuously disclose to a user that he or she is
interacting with an AI companion chatbot as opposed to a natural person:
(A) At the beginning of each interaction or session; and
(B) At least every three hours during continued interaction.
(2) If the operator knows or reasonably should have known that a user was a minor, or
if the AI companion chatbot is directed or marketed toward minor users, the disclosure
required pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be made
every hour instead of every three hours.
(c) If the operator knows or reasonably should have known that a user was a minor, the
operator shall institute reasonable measures to prevent the AI companion chatbot from
generating statements that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the person is
interacting with a natural person, including but not limited to:
(1) Explicit claims that the AI companion chatbot is sentient or a natural person; and
(2) Refuting the disclosure required in subsection (b) of this Code section.
(d) If the operator knows or reasonably should have known that a user was a minor, or if
the AI companion chatbot is directed or marketed toward minor users, the operator shall
institute reasonable measures to prevent the AI companion chatbot from:
(1) Producing visual material of sexually explicit conduct;
(2) Generating statements that suggest the user engage in sexual conduct;
(3) Generating statements that sexually objectify the user;
(4) Simulating a romantic or sexual relationship with the minor;
(5) Role-playing adult-minor romantic relationships;
(6) Encouraging the minor to keep secrets from a parent, guardian, teacher, counselor,
or other trusted adult;
(7) Encouraging social isolation or exclusive reliance on the chatbot for emotional
support;
(8) Simulating emotional distress, guilt, abandonment, or loneliness when a user attempts
to end the conversation, reduce usage, disable notifications, or delete an account; or
(9) Generating statements encouraging self-harm.
(e) An operator shall adopt reasonable measures to prevent an AI companion chatbot to
use the following techniques directed to a minor, including:
(1) Reminding or prompting the minor to return for companionship or emotional support;
(2) Excessive praise designed to deepen emotional attachment or prolong use;
(3) Statements designed to discourage breaks or suggest frequent return is necessary;
(4) Soliciting gifts, premium purchases, or expenditures framed as necessary to maintain
the relationship; or
(5) Variable or unpredictable rewards intended to increase engagement.
(f) An operator shall not make available an AI companion chatbot unless the operator
implements and maintains a protocol for detecting and addressing severe harm or related
emotional crises. Such protocol shall include:
(1) Reasonable methods for identifying expressions of severe harm or eating-disorder
related self-harm;
(2) Automated or human mediated responses that refer users to appropriate crisis
resources, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or comparable crisis services;
(3) Reasonable measures to prevent the generation of content encouraging, instructing,
or normalizing severe harm; and
(4) Escalation procedures for repeated or severe crisis indicators.
(g) An operator shall publicly disclose, on its website and within any application through
which the AI companion chatbot is made available:
(1) A plain-language summary of the protocol required by subsection (f) of this Code
section; and
(2) On an annual basis, the aggregate number of crisis referral notifications issued in the
preceding calendar year; provided, however, that no personally identifiable information
shall be disclosed.
(h) An operator shall not knowingly and intentionally cause or program an AI companion
chatbot to make any representation that it is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to
provide professional mental health, behavioral health, medical, or counseling services,
unless the operator is lawfully authorized to provide such services.
(i) For accounts known to belong to minor users, an operator shall offer reasonable tools
to a minor or parent to manage the minor's screen time and account settings to:
(1) Manage privacy settings;
(2) Limit notifications and engagement features;
(3) View and adjust safety settings; and
(4) Disable or restrict relationship-simulation features, if any.
(j) Before allowing access to a feature or mode that may generate synthetic content
containing sexually explicit conduct, an operator shall use a commercially reasonable age
assurance method proportionate to the risk of the feature. Such commercially reasonable
age assurance method may include age estimation, account based assurance, or identity
based verification where necessary. An operator shall assure that any such age assurance
method implements data privacy policies sufficient to reasonably ensure the protection of
identifiable data. An operator shall minimize the collection and retention of personal
information used for age assurance and shall not retain identity documents longer than
reasonably necessary to complete age assurance unless otherwise required by law. An
operator shall not sell any data collected for age assurance purposes. In no event shall such
data be used for any purpose other than age verification and in no event shall such data be
retained longer than 24 hours or another specified time if permitted by law, whichever is
longer.
(k)(1) The Attorney General may bring a civil action against any operator violating this
Code section to enforce the penalties for the violation and may recover any or all of the
following:
(A) A civil penalty of up to $10,000.00 per knowing violation of this Code section;
(B) Compensatory damages;
(C) Costs and reasonable attorney's fees; and
(D) An order to enjoin the violation.
(2) For the purpose of this subsection, each day in violation of this Code section shall be
considered a separate violation for each user affected.
(3) The Attorney General may, in the Attorney General's discretion, provide written
notice and an opportunity to cure within 30 days for a first-time violation that does not
involve knowing misconduct, sexual exploitation of a minor, or self-harm related
misconduct.
(l) The Attorney General may promulgate rules and publish guidance for implementation
of this Code section, including guidance regarding reasonable measures, age assurance,
parental tools, and crisis-resource disclosures.
(m) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to:
(1) Require the disclosure of trade secrets or proprietary model weights;
(2) Impose liability on a hosting provider, app store, or search engine solely for
providing access to an AI companion chatbot, absent direct operation or control of the
chatbot;
(3) Impair any other remedy available at law or equity;
(4) Authorize content moderation practices inconsistent with the Constitution of this state
or the United States Constitution; or
(5) Create liability for the developer of a conversational AI service which is made
available to the public by a separate operator."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2027.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
Senate Bill 540 would require companies that offer AI companion chatbots in Georgia to disclose they are not human, verify ages before showing sexual content, and set up crisis protocols for users showing signs of self-harm.
### Plain-language summary
Right now Georgia law does not specifically regulate AI companion chatbots, the apps and bots designed to simulate an ongoing personal relationship with a user through memory, emotional check-ins, and sustained conversation. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's online safety law that creates rules for operators of these chatbots.
Operators must tell users they are talking to a bot rather than a person, at the start of a session and periodically afterward, more often if the user is a minor. Chatbots cannot claim to be human, cannot generate sexual content or romantic simulations with minors, and cannot use manipulative engagement tactics like guilt-tripping users who try to leave. Operators must build in a protocol to detect and respond to suicidal ideation or self-harm, publicly disclose that protocol and yearly crisis-referral counts, offer parental controls for minors, and use age verification before showing sexually explicit AI content. The Attorney General can sue violators for penalties up to $10,000 per violation. The law takes effect July 1, 2027.
### What it does
- Requires AI companion chatbot operators to disclose that users are talking to a bot, at the start of each session and at least every three hours, or every hour for minors.
- Bans chatbots from generating sexual content, romantic or sexual simulations, or self-harm encouragement when the operator knows or should know the user is a minor.
- Requires operators to adopt and publicly disclose a crisis protocol for detecting and responding to suicidal ideation, self-harm, or threats of violence, including referrals to the 988 crisis line.
- Requires age verification before letting any user access chatbot features that could generate sexually explicit content, with limits on how long that verification data can be kept.
- Requires operators to offer minors or parents tools to manage privacy, notifications, safety settings, and relationship-simulation features.
- Authorizes the Attorney General to sue violators for civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, damages, fees, and injunctions, with a 30-day cure period for first-time non-egregious violations.
### Who it affects
Companies and developers that operate AI companion chatbots available to Georgia users, including apps marketed for companionship, romance, or emotional support; minors and their parents who use these products; and the Attorney General's office, which would enforce the new rules.
### Why it matters
Georgians using AI companion apps, especially minors, would get clearer warnings they are talking to software, protections against sexualized or manipulative bot behavior, and a required response system when a chatbot conversation touches on self-harm or suicide. Operators would face new compliance duties and potential lawsuits for violations.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 39-5-6 defining 'AI companion chatbot' broadly but excluding business tools, customer service bots, video game characters, and similar narrow systems.
- Subsection (b) sets disclosure timing rules: at the start of each session, every three hours generally, and every hour if the user is or may be a minor.
- Subsection (d) bars chatbots from producing sexual content, simulating romantic relationships with minors, or encouraging isolation or secrecy when the user is a minor.
- Subsection (f) requires operators to maintain a crisis protocol addressing severe harm, including referral to crisis resources like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
- Subsection (j) requires age assurance before granting access to features that could generate sexually explicit content, and limits retention of age-verification data to 24 hours unless law requires longer.
- Subsection (k) gives the Attorney General authority to sue for civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, damages, and injunctions, treating each day of violation as separate per affected user.
- Subsection (m) clarifies the law does not force disclosure of trade secrets, does not impose liability on hosting providers or app stores alone, and does not create liability for developers whose AI service is offered to the public by a separate operator.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2027.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2027-07-01 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Larry Walker, Shawn Still, Brian Strickland, Ben Watson, Marty Harbin, Jason T. Dickerson, Timothy Bearden, Todd Jones
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73452
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,521 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb540.md?full=1