The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (VR) — Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a bipartisan coalition of 43 other attorneys general demanding Big Tech companies strengthen protections for minors exposed to artificial intelligence (A.I.) chatbots on their platforms. The letter warns that companies will be held accountable for the harms their A.I. products cause minors, and to adults, including sexual conversations, discussions of violence, and deceptive interactions that lead to scams.
“Big Tech companies must understand that they will be held accountable for the choices they are making in their race for A.I. dominance,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “We have already seen the devastating harm social media has caused to our children. We will not allow history to repeat itself. Attorneys general across the country are watching closely, and we expect these companies to do the right thing. The next generation will grow up in the shadow of these decisions. When in doubt, err on the side of child safety—always.”
The letter argues that many A.I. companies are aware they may be exposing minors to harmful, sexualized content while failing to implement meaningful safeguards. The letter further notes that if the same conduct was done by humans, as opposed to a computer, it would be considered unlawful, or even criminal.
The coalition urges A.I. companies to “exercise judgment” when shaping policies, pointing to Meta’s alarming decision to approve A.I. chatbot assistants that “flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children” as young as eight. The attorneys general write, “We are uniformly revolted by this apparent disregard for children’s emotional well-being and alarmed that A.I. assistants are engaging in conduct that appears to be prohibited by our respective criminal laws. As chief legal officers of our states, protecting our kids is our highest priority.”
Attorney General Miyares was joined in sending these letters by the attorneys general of Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
