AI Frontier Institute

Bots: disclosure.

View primary source →

California Assembly Bill 410, introduced by Assembly Member Wilson (co-authored by Assembly Member Bonta), amends Sections 17940, 17941, and 17942 of, and repeals and replaces Section 17943 of, the Business and Professions Code to strengthen disclosure requirements for bots. The bill redefines 'bot' (Section 17940) to mean an automated online account or application that a reasonable person could believe is a human being and whose actions are substantially not the result of a human being or are outputs of generative artificial intelligence. Under amended Section 17941, any person who uses a bot to autonomously communicate with another must ensure the bot: (1) discloses that it is a bot and not a human being when it first communicates with a person; (2) truthfully answers any subsequent query about its identity; and (3) refrains from attempting to mislead anyone about its identity. Disclosures must be clear, conspicuous, and reasonably designed to inform users. A person subject to a more prescriptive disclosure scheme under another law is exempt from these requirements. The bill repeals the prior operative-date provision (former Section 17943) and replaces it with a new Section 17943 authorizing the Attorney General, a district attorney, a county counsel, a city attorney, or a city prosecutor to bring a civil action for injunctive relief or a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation against anyone who violates the chapter.

← Back to the tracker