New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signs S 9051, the state’s new AI chatbot safety bill, into law at a ceremony on Wednesday morning.
Oct. 28, 2026 — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul today signed and enacted a significant AI chatbot safety measure that will take effect early next year.
The new law, S 9051, prohibits companies that utilize AI chatbot features from offering unsafe features to minors, including chatbots that pretend to be human, build emotional dependency, encourage self-harm or engage in sexually explicit conversations.
“New York is sending a clear message,” said Gov. Hochul. “If you want to do business in our state, you need to put the safety of our kids first.”
The new law was a high-priority measure for its sponsors, Sen. Kristin Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores. The Transparency Coalition has provided expertise, information, and support for the measure over the past year.
What the new law requires
The new measure, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, requires AI chatbots block harmful features if offered to kids.
Companies may not offer the following features to users that are under 18, or to any user unless the company has first confirmed the user is not a minor:
Pretending to be a real person, to be alive or to have human emotions
Claiming a personal, romantic, professional or authority-figure relationship with a child
Unprompted emotional questions, and using a child’s private health or personal information from earlier conversations
Promoting or helping with suicide, self harm, eating disorders or drug and alcohol use
Encouraging kids to keep secrets, isolate themselves or avoid asking parents, trusted adults or professionals for help
Any sexually explicit content or child sexual abuse material
The law also requires companies to conduct age verification and offer more than one way to verify age, including at least one option that does not depend solely on a government ID. Age information must be deleted after it is used.
Violations would allow the attorney general to seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation along with damages, restitution, the destruction of unlawfully collected data or any AI models trained on it, and any other appropriate injunctive relief. Additionally, the law requires the attorney general to maintain a public website where New Yorkers can file complaints.
Gov. Hochul: ‘too many tragic incidents’ with chatbots
Gov. Hochul said in her signing statement:
“As artificial intelligence advances at a rapid pace, there have been too many tragic incidents that should have been prevented, and as New York’s mom Governor, I’m taking action. No company should be peddling chatbots to kids encouraging self-harm or pretending to be their friend or more.”
Sen. Gonzalez added: “We have a responsibility to keep children safe online. For too long, AI companies have profited from rolling out chatbots to underage consumers. These chatbots have proven to be dangerous for children—from instances of encouraging self-harm to coaching minors on how to harm others.”
Assemblymember Bores said: “For everyone wondering whether the public can have any say in determining how AI impacts us, New York again has an answer: Absolutely. New York now has the strongest law in the country protecting children from predatory AI algorithms, raising the floor yet again when it comes to common sense regulation — and doing so despite aggressive industry opposition. Our state’s leadership is a reminder to the rest of the country that AI happening to us—not for us—is not an inevitability. It’s a choice.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James was also involved in the crafting and passage of the new chatbot safety bill. “We have seen too many horror stories of chatbots hurting the health of our children, and this new law sets clear legal parameters to prevent that harm and keep kids safe,” she said. “My office will continue working with partners at all levels of government to address the threats posed by this technology, while also clearing the way for safe, responsible innovation. New York’s eye is on the ball—and we will not hesitate to defend New Yorkers with the full force of the law.”
One of 14 new state chatbot laws
New York’s new law is one of 14 chatbot protection laws enacted by state legislators over the past year.
The Transparency Coalition has a guide to all 14 new laws here, as well as a full overview of all 115 new state AI laws created in 2026.
