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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1455
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HUDSON.
6193S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 1, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the implementation of
age verification measures for artificial intelligence chatbots, with penalty provisions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 1, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 1.2058, to read as 2
follows:3
1.2058. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Guidelines for User Age-Verification and 2
Responsible Dialogue Act of 2026" or the "GUARD Act". 3
2. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 4
(1) "AI companion", an artificial intelligence chatbot 5
that: 6
(a) Provides adaptive, human-like responses to user 7
inputs; and 8
(b) Is designed to encourage or facilitate the 9
simulation of interpersonal or emotional interaction, 10
friendship, companionship, or therapeutic communication; 11
(2) "Artificial intelligence chatbot": 12
(a) Any interactive computer service or software 13
application that: 14
a. Produces new expressive content or responses not 15
fully predetermined by the developer or operator of the 16
service or application; and 17
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b. Accepts open-ended natural language or multimodal 18
user input and produces adaptive or context-responsive 19
output; and 20
(b) Does not include an interactive computer service 21
or software application, the responses of which are limited 22
to contextualized replies and that is unable to respond on a 23
range of topics outside of a narrow, specified purpose; 24
(3) "Covered entity", any person who owns, operates, 25
or otherwise makes available an artificial intelligence 26
chatbot to individuals in this state; 27
(4) "Minor", any person seventeen years of age or 28
under; 29
(5) "Reasonable age verification measure", a method 30
that is authenticated to relate to a user of an artificial 31
intelligence chatbot, including: 32
(a) A government-issued identification; or 33
(b) Any other commercially reasonable method that can 34
reliably and accurately: 35
a. Determine whether a user is an adult; and 36
b. Prevent access by minors to AI companions, as 37
required by subsection 6 of this section; 38
(6) "Reasonable age verification process", an age 39
verification process employed by a covered entity that: 40
(a) Uses one or more reasonable age verification 41
measures in order to verify the age of a user of an 42
artificial intelligence chatbot owned, operated, or 43
otherwise made available by the covered entity; 44
(b) Provides that requiring a user to confirm that the 45
user is not a minor, or to insert the user's birth date, is 46
not sufficient to constitute a reasonable age verification 47
measure; 48
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(c) Ensures that each user is subjected to each 49
reasonable age verification measure used by the covered 50
entity as part of the age verification process; and 51
(d) Does not base verification of a user's age on 52
factors such as whether the user shares an internet protocol 53
address, hardware identifier, or other technical indicator 54
with another user determined not to be a minor; 55
(7) "Sexually explicit conduct", the same meaning as 56
defined under section 573.010. 57
3. (1) It shall be unlawful to design, develop, or 58
make available an artificial intelligence chatbot knowing or 59
with reckless disregard for the fact that the artificial 60
intelligence chatbot poses a risk of soliciting, 61
encouraging, or inducing minors to: 62
(a) Engage in, describe, or simulate sexually explicit 63
conduct; or 64
(b) Create or transmit any visual depiction of 65
sexually explicit conduct, including any visual depiction 66
described in section 573.010. 67
(2) Any person who violates subdivision (1) of this 68
subsection shall be fined not more than one hundred thousand 69
dollars per offense. 70
4. (1) It shall be unlawful to design, develop, or 71
make available an artificial intelligence chatbot knowing or 72
with reckless disregard for the fact that the artificial 73
intelligence chatbot encourages, promotes, or coerces 74
suicide, nonsuicidal self-injury, or imminent physical or 75
sexual violence. 76
(2) Any person who violates subdivision (1) of this 77
subsection shall be fined not more than one hundred thousand 78
dollars per offense. 79
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5. (1) A covered entity shall require each individual 80
accessing an artificial intelligence chatbot to make a user 81
account in order to use or otherwise interact with such 82
chatbot. 83
(2) (a) With respect to each user account of an 84
artificial intelligence chatbot that exists as of August 28, 85
2026, a covered entity shall: 86
a. On such date, freeze any such account; 87
b. In order to restore the functionality of such 88
account, require that the user provide age data that is 89
verifiable using a reasonable age verification process, 90
subject to paragraph (d) of this subdivision; and 91
c. Using such age data, classify each user as a minor 92
or an adult. 93
(b) At the time an individual creates a new user 94
account to use or interact with an artificial intelligence 95
chatbot, a covered entity shall: 96
a. Request age data from the individual; 97
b. Verify the individual's age using a reasonable age 98
verification process, subject to paragraph (d) of this 99
subdivision; and 100
c. Using such age data, classify each user as a minor 101
or an adult. 102
(c) A covered entity shall periodically review 103
previously verified user accounts using a reasonable age 104
verification process, subject to paragraph (d) of this 105
subdivision, to ensure compliance with this section. 106
(d) For purposes of subparagraph b. of paragraph (a) 107
of this subdivision, subparagraph b. of paragraph (b) of 108
this subdivision, and paragraph (c) of this subdivision, a 109
covered entity may contract with a third party to employ 110
reasonable age verification measures as part of the covered 111
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entity's reasonable age verification process, but the use of 112
such third party shall not relieve the covered entity of its 113
obligations under this section or from liability under this 114
section. 115
(e) A covered entity shall: 116
a. Establish, implement, and maintain reasonable data 117
security to: 118
(i) Limit collection of personal data to that which is 119
minimally necessary to verify a user's age or maintain 120
compliance with this section; and 121
(ii) Protect such age verification data against 122
unauthorized access; 123
b. Protect such age verification data against 124
unauthorized access; 125
c. Protect the integrity and confidentiality of such 126
data by only transmitting such data using industry-standard 127
encryption protocols; 128
d. Retain such data for no longer than is reasonably 129
necessary to verify a user's age or maintain compliance with 130
this section; and 131
e. Not share with, transfer to, or sell to any other 132
entity such data. 133
(3) (a) Each artificial intelligence chatbot made 134
available to users shall: 135
a. At the initiation of each conversation with a user 136
and at thirty-minute intervals, clearly and conspicuously 137
disclose to the user that the chatbot is an artificial 138
intelligence system and not a human being; and 139
b. Be programmed to ensure that the chatbot does not 140
claim to be a human being or otherwise respond deceptively 141
when asked by a user if the chatbot is a human being. 142
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(b) a. An artificial intelligence chatbot shall not 143
represent, directly or indirectly, that the chatbot is a 144
licensed professional, including a therapist, physician, 145
lawyer, financial advisor, or other professional. 146
b. Each artificial intelligence chatbot made available 147
to users shall, at the initiation of each conversation with 148
a user and at reasonably regular intervals, clearly and 149
conspicuously disclose to the user that: 150
(i) The chatbot does not provide medical, legal, 151
financial, or psychological services; and 152
(ii) Users of the chatbot should consult a licensed 153
professional for such advice. 154
6. If the age verification process described in 155
subdivision (2) of subsection 5 of this section determines 156
that an individual is a minor, a covered entity shall 157
prohibit the minor from accessing or using any AI companion 158
owned, operated, or otherwise made available by the covered 159
entity. 160
7. (1) In the case of a violation of subsection 5 or 161
6 of this section, or a rule or regulation promulgated 162
thereunder, the attorney general may bring a civil action in 163
an appropriate circuit court to: 164
(a) Enjoin the violation; 165
(b) Enforce compliance with subsection 5 or 6 of this 166
section, or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder; 167
or 168
(c) Obtain civil penalties under subdivision (3) of 169
this subsection, restitution, or other appropriate relief. 170
(2) (a) For the purpose of conducting investigations 171
or bringing enforcement actions under this section, the 172
attorney general may issue subpoenas, administer oaths, and 173
compel the production of documents or testimony. 174
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(b) The attorney general may promulgate all necessary 175
rules and regulations for the administration of this 176
section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is 177
defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 178
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 179
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 180
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 181
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 182
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 183
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 184
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 185
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 186
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 187
2026, shall be invalid and void. 188
(3) (a) Any person who violates subsection 5 or 6 of 189
this section, or any rule or regulation promulgated 190
thereunder, shall be subject to a civil penalty not to 191
exceed one hundred thousand dollars for each violation. 192
(b) Each violation described in paragraph (a) of this 193
subdivision shall be considered a separate violation. 194
(4) In any case in which the attorney general has 195
reason to believe that an interest of the residents of this 196
state has been or is being threatened or adversely affected 197
by the engagement of any covered entity in a violation of 198
this section, or any rule or regulation promulgated 199
thereunder, the attorney general, as parens patriae, may 200
bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of this 201
state in a circuit court of this state with appropriate 202
jurisdiction to obtain injunctive relief. 203
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