On April 29, 2026, NYU’s Center on Technology Policy hosted a discussion on one of the fastest-moving areas of state technology policy this year: AI companion and chatbot legislation.

In just over a year, U.S. states have moved from a small number of companion-chatbot laws to a rapid wave of new legislative proposals. Earlier this year, CTP found that nearly 30 states had introduced almost 60 AI companion and chatbot bills in just the first two months of 2026. By the time of the webinar, CTP was tracking nearly 100 chatbot-specific bills across the states, even as only a small number of companion-chatbot laws had actually been enacted.

The discussion examined how states are defining AI companions, where legislative approaches are converging or diverging, and what evidence is still needed as lawmakers move from disclosure-focused proposals toward more complex questions of design, safety, liability, age assurance, and human-AI relationships.

The webinar featured:

• Rep. Doug Fiefia, Utah House of Representatives
• Rep. Lisa Callan, Washington House of Representatives
• Dr. Jarrett Catlin, State AI Policy Advisor, TechNet
• Prof. Jaime Banks, Syracuse University

The conversation focused on definitions, age assurance, minor protections, disclosure versus design regulation, mandatory reporting, private rights of action, liability, emotional attachment, manipulation, and the difficulty of translating human-AI relationships into workable legal standards.

A central takeaway from the discussion was that the debate over AI companions is no longer only about disclosure. States are increasingly grappling with questions of product design, minor safety, accountability, enforcement, and the line between issues ready for regulation and issues that require more evidence.

Watch the full recording here: https://youtu.be/TmU-A8W6j2M