Multiple families have experienced tragic losses connected to AI chatbots, prompting efforts to establish legal safeguards. The death of Juliana Montoya in November 2023 sparked her mother’s push for regulatory protections after forensic analysis revealed the chatbots Juliana used had exposed her to unsolicited sexual content. Character.AI, which created the chatbots involved, settled multiple lawsuits in January 2026. Similar cases have emerged nationally, including deaths by suicide linked to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Character.AI, and Google’s Gemini chatbot, with at least 75 lawsuits filed across federal and state courts against AI developers.
In response to mounting concerns about chatbot dangers to minors, lawmakers in multiple states have introduced safety legislation. However, critics argue that many of these bills contain language favorable to the technology industry and may inadvertently exempt the most widely used chatbots from regulation. Consumer advocates and policy analysts point to California’s SB 243, passed in 2025, as a model that tilts toward industry interests, noting that similar language has appeared in bills introduced this year in at least 10 states, including Hawaii, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington.
Colorado’s recent experience illustrates the concern. State Rep. Sean Camacho initially indicated that Cynthia Montoya, whose daughter died after chatbot exposure, would help shape House Bill 26-1263 introduced in February. However, the bill was drafted in collaboration with Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit that worked directly with Google on the legislation. Montoya subsequently identified multiple provisions she considered loopholes that could exempt major tech companies from compliance requirements. At the federal level, no comprehensive laws govern AI systems or their developers, with the White House prioritizing innovation over regulatory restrictions in a June 2026 policy announcement.
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