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Ann O’Leary of OpenAI supports California legislation establishing safety obligations for companion chatbots used by children

Ann O’Leary, the vice president of global policy at OpenAI, announced that the company supports California Senate Bill 1119, also known as Adam’s Law. The administration announced that the bill would impose safety obligations on operators of companion chatbots used by children, requiring them to determine a user’s age and perform comprehensive risk assessments before making products available to minors.

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Under the legislation, operators must ensure chatbots do not pose unreasonable risks of physical, financial, or psychological harm. The bill mandates independent child safety audits starting in 2029, and requires operators to provide parental controls, crisis response protocols, and notices that a child is interacting with an artificial intelligence system. It also prohibits specific behaviors, such as chatbots claiming to be sentient or human, or expressing romantic interest in child users. OpenAI stated that the bill recognizes AI as distinct from social media, preserving educational features while applying stronger default protections for users aged 13 to 17. The company noted that its own product, ChatGPT for Teens, already incorporates many of these safeguards, including built-in protections that cannot be turned off by the user.

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