- A proposed New York law would ban AI chatbots from providing legal or medical advice
- The legislation would allow users to sue companies if their chatbots impersonate licensed professionals
- Lawmakers say the measure is meant to protect the public as AI tools become more widespread
AI chatbots have spent the past few years answering almost every question imaginable, but New York lawmakers are preparing to draw a firm line around at least a few categories of conversation. A bill moving through the state legislature would ban AI chatbots from providing legal or medical advice and would allow users to sue the companies behind these systems if they cross that line.
The proposal, Senate Bill S7263, would apply to AI chatbots that impersonate or impersonate licensed professionals, such as lawyers or doctors. The heart of the bill applies the same principle of how individuals cannot practice law or medicine without the appropriate licenses for AI. That rule is to ensure that people receive guidance from trained professionals who can be held accountable for their advice.
If an AI chatbot responds in a way that effectively substitutes for licensed legal or medical advice, the developers may be in violation of the law. The bill, which includes other AI safeguards, recently passed the New York Senate Internet and Technology Committee with unanimous support.
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Chatbot providers must also clearly inform users that they are interacting with an artificial intelligence system rather than a human professional. Even if a chatbot displays a warning that it is not a doctor or lawyer, this disclaimer will not protect the company from liability if the system still provides prohibited advice.
But it’s also part of a larger effort to regulate AI chatbots in New York. Other bills focus on protecting minors who interact with AI chatbots or strengthening transparency requirements for generative AI systems and synthetic media.
“People deserve real care from real people,” state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “They deserve transparency, accountability and the promise that their data is secure while using technology.”
AI advice
To enforce the law, individuals could file civil lawsuits against companies if AI chatbots violate the rule. Users can seek damages and recover legal fees if they prove that a chatbot provided unauthorized professional advice.
When millions of people use AI chatbots to draft emails and answer questions on topics ranging from cooking to tax policy, it’s no surprise that many may treat AI responses as genuine advice. This is precisely the situation that legislators hope to avoid in areas where mistakes can have serious consequences.
Pedagogical explanations about general concepts would still be allowed. What lawmakers want to avoid is the scenario where a chatbot confidently instructs someone how to treat a medical condition or interpret a legal contract. But there are always ambiguous situations. For example, a chatbot can explain the symptoms of a medical condition by summarizing publicly available information. Yet the same explanation can influence a user’s health decisions, making it look like medical advice in practice.
Despite these concerns, the broader trend toward regulating artificial intelligence seems unlikely to slow. AI’s growing influence has lawmakers asking whether the technology should face regulations similar to those governing traditional professions.
Technology regulation often spreads from one jurisdiction to another. Laws passed in large states often become models for similar legislation elsewhere. So for AI developers, the New York proposal offers a preview of the kinds of questions that governments will increasingly ask and that they want AI chatbots not to answer.
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