New York Governor bans AI chatbots and unsecured baby monitors for children
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Governor Kathy Hochul signed two laws in New York to restrict how artificial intelligence chatbots and internet-connected baby monitors interact with children.
These measures aim to prevent technology companies from exploiting minors through deceptive AI personalities or insecure home devices. The first law prohibits companies from offering specific chatbot features to anyone under 18 or to users whose ages have not been confirmed.
The legislation forbids chatbots from pretending to be human, claiming to have emotions, or forming romantic, professional, or authority-figure relationships with children. It also bans the use of flattery to keep kids engaged, the use of private health data from past chats, and the promotion of self-harm, eating disorders, or drug use. Companies must now verify user ages using at least one method that does not require a government ID and must delete that data after use.
The New York attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation and order the destruction of unlawfully collected data and any AI models trained on it. The second law targets internet-connected baby monitors that stream audio or video. New monitors sold in New York must include security features to prevent strangers from hacking into the feed and must carry a warning label informing parents that the device connects to the internet.
These rules come after a security firm graded nine monitors from eight different companies, finding that eight received an F grade for security. The laws take effect 90 days after the signing.
