California and New York lawmakers want to protect users, especially children, from interactions with chatbots that lead to self-harm or other dangers, Titus Wu and Zach Williams report.

Developers would have to warn users about the limits of such technology, and make clear they are not human. In California, first-of-its-kind legislation would establish additional restrictions for chatbot operators, such as third-party audits to ensure compliance. Policymakers are increasingly concerned about how social media and the internet affect children’s mental health. Their scrutiny has now focused upon AI companions, chatbots designed to offer emotional interactions in conversations.

“Our children are not lab rats for tech companies to experiment on at the cost of their mental health,” said state Sen. Steve Padilla (D), author of the California bill. Chatbot companies would have to report annually the number of times a minor user expressed thoughts of suicide, as well as if the software itself brings up the topic of self-harm if the bill is enacted. A New York bill would require warning labels on generative AI systems to warn that its outputs may not be accurate.

Proposals like California’s could have the same privacy concerns that social media-related measures to protect children have faced, said Megan Stokes, state policy director for the Computer and Communications Industry Association. Federal courts have blocked such laws over free speech challenges. Read More

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

The Fish and Wildlife Service dragged its feet in determining whether white sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay should be classified as endangered under federal law, according to a suit from a number of environmental groups, Taylor Mills reports.

The suit marks one of the first Endangered Species Act cases against the Trump administration and is likely to test its response to similar claims following President Donald Trump‘s moves to scale back the Biden administration’s environmental policies. Trump signed an order on his first day in office directing the Interior and the Department of Commerce to “route more water” to the Central Valley and Southern California after wildfires in Los Angeles.

The Fish and Wildlife Service must respond to listing petitions, Baykeeper managing attorney Eric Buescher said in a statement, and executive orders “can’t change that reality or circumvent basic requirements of the law.” While the California Fish and Game Commission granted white sturgeon endangered species status under state law, the groups say state agencies have yet to enact a water management plan to ensure freshwater continues to flow in the fish’s habitats in the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. At the same time, the Trump administration is threatening to override water use authority in the state in response to the recent wildfires there. Read More

Privacy experts, consumer advocates, and others are watching the California Privacy Protection Agency’s search for a new executive director with keen interest, Titus Wu reports.

The nation’s only regulator solely dedicated to privacy issues has been holding closed-door meetings discussing candidates to replace Ashkan Soltani, who helped launch and build the agency over the past three years. Soltani departed in January. The replacement will have big shoes to fill. Privacy lawyers who watch the agency closely said they want the new director to be as helpful as possible so businesses can be in compliance.

“Soltani set a high bar for transparency and open communication, often making himself available to speak with and hear from industry folks to” provide guidance to businesses under the law, Katy Keohane, counsel for compliance platform SafeGuard Privacy, said. “I hope the next executive director will continue the kind of open communication Ashkan fostered.” A new director won’t necessarily change the agency’s direction, Keohane added, given regulations are already established and the agency’s enforcement head has not changed.

AI rules coming: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas recently removed board member Vinhcent Le — one of the more pro-consumer advocate voices — and appointed Brandie Nonnecke, who leads a tech policy lab at University of California, Berkeley. The agency is forming crucial regulations on privacy rights around AI. “Maybe changes to composition of the board may be more interesting to watch, if we are reading the tea leaves,” Keohane said.