This bill creates a new chapter in Title 19 RCW establishing a regulatory framework for "AI companion chatbots." It is a new law that defines an AI companion chatbot and related terms, requires clear and conspicuous disclosures that the chatbot is artificial (at the start of an interaction and at least every three hours during continued interaction, or at least every hour if the interaction is known to involve or be directed to minors), requires operators to take reasonable measures to prevent chatbots from claiming to be human, prohibits sexually explicit or suggestive content involving minors and certain manipulative engagement techniques, and excludes various narrowly described kinds of bots and devices from the definition. The bill creates procedural and operational duties for operators by requiring, before making an AI companion available, a maintained and implemented protocol to detect and address suicidal ideation and other self-harm (including eating disorders). Those protocols must include methods to identify expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm, provide automated or human-mediated referrals to crisis resources (such as hotlines or crisis text lines), and prevent generation of content encouraging or describing how to commit self-harm. Operators must publicly disclose the protocol details and the number of crisis referral notifications issued in the preceding calendar year on their websites and within any mobile or web application that offers the AI companion. Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive acts under the Washington Consumer Protection Act (chapter 19.86 RCW). The act includes a severability clause and takes effect January 1, 2027. The new chapter number is not specified in the provided text, and important terms and standards (for example, "reasonable measures," "sustain a relationship," "continuous interaction," specific detection methods), enforcement mechanisms and penalties under chapter 19.86 RCW, and precise reporting format or timing for crisis referral counts are not detailed in the extracted material.

If this becomes law, companies and other entities that make AI "companion" chatbots available to Washington users will need to change how those chatbots operate and how they present themselves: they must clearly tell users up front (and repeatedly during long chats) that the bot is not human, block sexual content or manipulative techniques when chats involve minors, and put in place and run a written protocol to detect and respond to suicidal thoughts or self-harm, including giving automated or human referrals to crisis hotlines and preventing content that encourages self-harm. Practically, that means operators will need to build or buy detection and referral systems, add ongoing disclosure messages in apps or websites, publish the protocol and last year’s count of crisis referrals, and adjust content moderation and design to avoid prohibited behaviors; failure to comply can be treated as an unfair or deceptive practice under Washington’s consumer protection law. Who changes most: operators of AI companion chatbots, who will face new ongoing responsibilities, potential compliance costs, and legal risk; users and minors may get more frequent reminders the bot is artificial and more safety referrals in crises; crisis hotlines may see more automated referrals. Several important details are left open in the text provided—terms like “reasonable measures,” how to identify suicidal ideation, reporting format for referral counts, enforcement procedures, and the exact new chapter number—so some operational and legal uncertainty will remain until those specifics are clarified.