A 6545: Imposes liability for damages caused by a chatbot impersonating certain licensed professionals.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6545 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ZACCARO -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Consumer Affairs and Protection AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to imposing liability for damages caused by a chatbot impersonating licensed professionals The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 2 390-f to read as follows: 3 § 390-f. Liability for chatbot responses. 1. As used in this section, 4 the following terms shall have the following meanings: 5 (a) "Chatbot" shall mean an artificial intelligence system, software 6 program, or technological application that simulates human-like conver- 7 sation and interaction through text messages, voice commands, or a 8 combination thereof to provide information and services to users. 9 (b) "Proprietor" refers to any person, business, company, organiza- 10 tion, institution or government entity that owns, operates or deploys a 11 chatbot system used to interact with users. Proprietors shall not 12 include third-party developers that license their chatbot technology to 13 a proprietor. 14 2. (a) A proprietor of a chatbot shall not permit such chatbot to 15 provide any substantive response, information, or advice, or take any 16 action: 17 (i) which, if taken by a natural person, would constitute a crime 18 under section sixty-five hundred twelve or sixty-five hundred thirteen 19 of the education law; or 20 (ii) providing any medical or psychological advice. 21 (b) A proprietor may not waive or disclaim this liability merely by 22 notifying consumers that they are interacting with a non-human chatbot 23 system. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10388-01-5 
 A. 6545 2 1 3. A person may bring a civil action to recover actual damages and, if 2 it is found that such proprietor has willfully violated this section, 3 the violator shall be liable for actual damages together with costs and 4 reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements incurred by the person 5 bringing such action. 6 4. Proprietors utilizing chatbots shall provide clear, conspicuous and 7 explicit notice to users that they are interacting with an artificial 8 intelligence chatbot program. The text of the notice shall appear in the 9 same language the chatbot is using and in a size easily readable by the 10 average viewer and no smaller than the largest font size of other text 11 appearing on the website on which the chatbot is utilized. 12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 13 have become a law.