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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1742
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE MILLER.
4172H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 1, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to companion
chatbots.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 1, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 1.2055, to read as follows:
1.2055. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean:
2 (1) "Artificial intelligence", an engineer ed or machine-based system that varies
3 in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer fro m the
4 input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual
5 envir onments;
6 (2) "Companion chatbot", an artificial intelligence system with a natural
7 language interface that pr ovides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is
8 capable of meeting a user's social needs, which includes exhibiting anthr opomorphic
9 featur es and sustaining a relat ionship acro ss multiple interactions. A "companion
10 chatbot" does not include the following:
11 (a) A bot that is used only for customer service, a business's operational purpose,
12 pr oductivity , and analysis relat ed to source information, internal re sear ch, or technical
13 assistance;
14 (b) A bot that is a featur e of a video game and is limited to rep lies rel ated to the
15 video game. Limited video game repli es include rep lies that cannot discuss topics
16 r elated to mental health, self-harm, or sexually explicit conduct or maintain a dialogue
17 on other topics unr elated to the video game; or
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 (c) A stand-alone consumer electr onic device that functions as a speaker and
19 voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and does not sustain
20 a relat ionship across multiple interactions or generate outputs that are likely to elicit
21 emotional r esponses in the user;
22 (3) "Cover ed platform", any person who pro vides companion chatbot services to
23 a user in this state;
24 (4) "Minor", an individual under eighteen years of age.
25 2. It shall be unlawful for a person who owns or contro ls a website, application,
26 softwar e, or progra m to allow a minor to access a companion chatbot for recr eational,
27 r elational, or companion purposes. A person who offers companion chatbot services for
28 r ecreat ional, rel ational, or companion purposes shall req uire an individual to prov ide
29 pr oof of the individual's age before allowing the individual to access a companion
30 chatbot. No companion chatbot shall be installed on any device assigned to, or r egularly
31 used by , anyone who is a minor .
32 3. Any person who owns or controls a website, application, softwar e, or
33 pr ogram:
34 (1) Shall not pr ocess data or design systems in ways that deceive or mislead users
35 of such website, application, software, or pr ogram reg arding the nonhuman nature of
36 the companion chatbot;
37 (2) Shall implement and maintain reas onably effective systems to detect and
38 pr event emotional dependence of a user on a companion chatbot. Such systems shall
39 apply to any covere d platform that utilizes a companion chatbot designed to generate
40 social connections with users, engages in extended conversations mimicking human
41 interactions, or pro vides emotional support or companionship; and
42 (3) Shall not implement or allow the use of a human-like avatar , including
43 cartoon- or anime-like repr esentations of humans.
✔
HB 1742 2