Recently, two U.S. senators, Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, introduced a new piece of legislation called the GUARD Act. The bill requires all AI companies to verify the age of users who use their chatbots and prohibits minors under 18 from using these technologies. This legislation comes as some safety advocates and parents have raised concerns about the impact of AI chatbots on children during Senate hearings.

Meeting

Image source note: Image generated by AI

Under this bill, AI companies are required to confirm the user's age by asking users to upload government-issued identification or use other "reasonable" verification methods, such as facial scanning. In addition, chatbots must inform users of their non-human identity every 30 minutes to ensure users are aware they are interacting with machines rather than humans. At the same time, the bill also requires these chatbots not to falsely claim to be human, similar to the recent AI safety bill passed in California.

The bill also prohibits providing any form of sexual content or chatbots promoting suicide to minors. "Our legislation imposes strict protections against exploitative or manipulative AI technologies and includes enforcement mechanisms with criminal and civil penalties," Blumenthal said in a statement to The Verge. He emphasized that tech giants have failed to self-regulate, always putting profits above children's safety.

Key points:

- 🚫 Two senators introduced the GUARD Act, banning minors under 18 from using AI chatbots.

- 📄 AI companies must verify users' age, including uploading identification or facial scans.

- 📵 Chatbots must declare their non-human identity every 30 minutes and are prohibited from providing sexual content or promoting suicide to minors.