AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Utah's new Companion Chatbot Safety Act creates the first set of rules in state law governing AI companion chatbots — apps designed to simulate ongoing emotional or social relationships with users. Operators of these chatbots must comply with Utah's existing consumer privacy law, clearly label any advertisements, and block the chatbot from generating content that encourages suicide, self-harm, or harm to others; if a user expresses such thoughts, the chatbot must direct them to crisis resources. Operators serving minors face additional requirements: they must remind young users every three hours that they are talking to an AI and encourage breaks, opt minors out of targeted advertising by default, avoid collecting data beyond what's needed to run the chatbot, block content harmful to minors, prohibit selling minors' personal data or directing targeted ads at them without parental consent, and give parents tools to control data retention, set time limits, or disable access, with notice to parents if a minor changes those settings. The Division of Consumer Protection enforces the law with fines up to $2,500 per violation and civil penalties up to $50,000 for violating court or administrative orders, while operators can avoid liability for minor-safety violations by using state-approved age verification methods; the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy will also study broader chatbot safety standards and report to lawmakers in late 2026.