SIIA Recommends Targeted Revisions to Virginia’s AI Chatbots Act (HB 635)

SIIA submitted detailed feedback on Virginia's HB 635, the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act, applauding the bill's intent to protect minors while cautioning that several provisions are overly broad or technically infeasible. The letter outlines concerns with vague definitions, expansive scope, and age-verification requirements that could effectively mandate universal verification and raise serious privacy issues.

SIIA proposes targeted refinements, including narrowing definitions of "companion chatbots," preserving an "actual knowledge" standard for age, clarifying safety and disclosure requirements, and aligning reporting obligations with other states. These changes, SIIA argues, would better protect young users while allowing beneficial AI applications to continue evolving responsibly.