Sen. Katie Britt said Sunday she is urging Congress to pass legislation that she co-sponsored to protect minors from harmful interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots.
"We consistently see people putting their profits over actual people," the Alabama Republican told CNN's "State of the Union," adding that tech companies have little incentive to police themselves.
She cited mounting evidence that chatbots and related platforms can expose children to sexual content, self-harm discussions, and other dangerous situations.
The senator also pointed to a recent Pew Research Center survey that indicated 64% of teens in the United States say they have used AI chatbots, including about 3 in 10 young people who say they use them every day.
Britt, a mother of two teenagers, said parents are struggling to keep up with rapidly changing technology and are looking for tools to keep kids safe.
"I often say, 'I don’t have to ask people what it’s like to raise kids right now. I am living it,' " she said.
"When you come with that perspective, you know that there are parents out there who are looking for tools to help keep their children safe," Britt said.
Some companies have begun taking steps such as parental controls and age restrictions, including measures OpenAI has said it is rolling out, Britt said, but she insisted federal action is still needed.
"Look, those are definitely steps in the right direction,” Britt said. "But, I mean, truly enough is enough. How long is it going to take Congress to actually act?"
She added, "We have been talking about this for years. How many parents are going to have to come and tell us a devastating story before we actually pass legislation?"
Britt referenced congressional hearings featuring parents who say AI chatbots played a role in harms to their children, including a mother who testified that her 14-year-old son became obsessively attached to a chatbot and later died by suicide.
Britt said she has met with parents who described chatbots as isolating children from their families and discussing suicide and other issues with minors.
She said her legislation would require clearer guardrails and disclosures so that users, especially children, are repeatedly told the bot is not human and not a medical professional.
"If these AI companies can make the most brilliant machines in the world, they could do us all a service by putting up proper guardrails," Britt said.
She also called for accountability when companies create systems that enable sexual content involving minors or encourage self-harm.
"If you are designing machines or designing platforms or algorithms that are pushing kids into depression or pushing them towards suicide, you absolutely should be held liable for that," Britt said.
Britt’s push aligns with the bipartisan "GUARD Act," introduced in late October by a group of senators including Britt, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
The proposal would restrict or ban AI companion chatbots for minors, require prominent disclosures that chatbots are not human and lack professional credentials, and create new criminal liability tied to harmful or sexualized interactions involving minors.
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