Overview
- HB286 would mandate public safety plans for minors, truthful risk disclosures, incident reporting, and whistleblower protections, with civil penalties of $1 million for a first violation and $3 million for subsequent breaches.
- Rep. Doug Fiefia introduced a substitute to direct penalty revenue into a fund intended to support the bill’s implementation.
- The committee advanced the bill unanimously after testimony that included Joseph Gordon-Levitt urging passage and criticizing AI companies as profit-driven.
- Industry and tech advocates warned the measure lacks specificity—citing terms like “severe emotional distress”—and could hinder innovation or prove unworkable.
- Fiefia said the bill imposes no content mandates or government preapproval of algorithms, and he is drafting a separate measure focused on minors’ use of AI chatbots.