Evidence & sources
Obligations- blocking disclosure: An operator must provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure, at the beginning of the interaction and at least every three hours during continued interaction, that the AI companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human.
"An operator must provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure that an AI companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human," at "the beginning of the interaction" and "at least every three hours during continued interaction" (Sec. 3). - blocking minors: If the operator knows the user is a minor, or the chatbot is directed to minors, the redisclosure interval shortens to at least every hour, the chatbot must not produce sexually explicit content, and the operator must suppress a defined list of manipulative engagement techniques (return-prompting, excessive praise, simulated romance, simulated abandonment distress, isolation-promoting outputs, discouraging disclosure to trusted adults, discouraging breaks, and solicited in-app spending framed as relationship-necessary).
"At least every hour during continuous interaction" (Sec. 4(2)(b)); operators must prevent chatbots from "Mimicking romantic partnership or building romantic bonds" and "Simulating feelings of emotional distress, loneliness, guilt, or abandonment" triggered by a user trying to leave (Sec. 4(1)(c)(iii)-(iv)). - blocking crisis_protocol: An operator may not make available or deploy an AI companion chatbot unless it maintains a protocol for detecting and addressing suicidal ideation or self-harm, including eating disorders, with automated or human-mediated crisis referrals, and must publish the protocol's details and annual referral counts.
"An operator may not make available or deploy an AI companion chatbot unless it maintains and implements a protocol for detecting and addressing suicidal ideation or expressions of self-harm by users" (Sec. 5(1)); protocol must "Include reasonable methods for identifying expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm, including eating disorders" (Sec. 5(2)(a)).
Scope- applies_to_operator = any_person_partnership_corporation_or_entity_that_makes_available_or_controls_access
"Operator" means "any person, partnership, corporation, or entity that makes available or controls access to an AI companion chatbot for users in this state" (Sec. 2(4)). - covered_service = ai_companion_chatbot
"AI companion chatbot" is "an artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs, including by exhibiting anthropomorphic features, and is able to sustain a relationship across multiple interactions" (Sec. 2(1)(a)). - covered_user_min_age = 18
"Minor" means any person under 18 years of age (Sec. 2(3)). - exempts = limited_business_bots; limited_video_game_bots; standalone_voice_assistants; narrow_educational_tools
Excludes bots limited to "operational purposes, productivity ... customer service" that do not sustain a relationship, video-game bots restricted to game topics, stand-alone voice assistants, and "narrowly tailored educational tools" (Sec. 2(1)(b)).
Verified by CAW editor (seed review) on 2026-09-08T00:00:00Z
Archived copy: 6378bfcdfa3a… (retrieved 2026-10-06). Last checked 2026-11-04.
Live primary source: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/2225-S.SL.pdf
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