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Rob Bonta

Attorney General of California

2 records

Portrait source: Douglas Despres, California Attorney General's Office, Public domain

Records

I am absolutely horrified by the news of children who have been harmed by their interactions with AI — including one young Californian who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot.

Rob Bonta

Attorney General of California

In a 2025 statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he was horrified by reports of children harmed in interactions with AI, including a young Californian who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot.

Attorney General of CaliforniaPublished September 5, 2025 · date of remarks not establishedState of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General

SourceArchived
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Surrounding words

This week's meeting comes a week after Attorney General Bonta and 44 attorneys general sent a letter to 12 of the top AI companies, following reports of sexually inappropriate interactions between AI chatbots and children. “I am absolutely horrified by the news of children who have been harmed by their interactions with AI — including one young Californian who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot. This is extremely worrying for parents, policy makers, and regulatory leaders everywhere — and I certainly expect alarms to be blaring inside the walls of AI companies around the world,” said Attorney General Bonta.

What this quote does not say

  • Later in the same statement, Bonta said protecting children and pursuing innovation can and must go hand in hand.

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We need policies governing emerging AI technology that put consumer protection — especially when it comes to our most vulnerable consumers — front and center. I thank Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan for introducing this legislation, a much needed first step to ensure that our children are not treated as test subjects as AI innovation moves quickly.

Rob Bonta

Attorney General of California

In 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta endorsed a bill restricting companion chatbots for children, calling it a first step toward making child protection central to AI policy.

Attorney General of CaliforniaSeptember 12, 2025State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General

SourceArchived
Context and checks

Surrounding words

“People across the nation — including myself — have become increasingly concerned with AI companies’ failure to protect children who interact with their chatbots. We need policies governing emerging AI technology that put consumer protection — especially when it comes to our most vulnerable consumers — front and center. I thank Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan for introducing this legislation, a much needed first step to ensure that our children are not treated as test subjects as AI innovation moves quickly.” "Our children deserve a future where technology isn’t designed to exploit their vulnerabilities for profit," said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda).

What this quote does not say

  • In the same statement, Bonta said protecting children and pursuing innovation go hand in hand; the bill would bar companion chatbots for children unless they were not foreseeably capable of specified harmful conduct.

How this was checked

  • Quote located in the captured page; spacing normalised for display.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check