AI Frontier Institute

Relating To Artificial Intelligence.

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Hawaii H.B. 2502 (H.D. 1), titled the 'Artificial Intelligence Disclosure and Safety Act,' amends Chapter 481B of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to regulate operators of conversational AI services. Under Section 2, operators must issue clear disclosures when a reasonable person could mistake the AI for a human. For known minor users, operators must provide persistent or session-based reminders that they are interacting with AI, with hourly prompts in continuous sessions. Operators must adopt protocols to respond to suicidal ideation or self-harm prompts by referring users to crisis services such as suicide hotlines, and must use evidence-based methods to measure suicidal ideation. Operators are prohibited from representing their service as a professional mental health care provider. Additional protections for minors include bans on unpredictable reward systems designed to increase engagement, prohibitions on generating sexually explicit content or statements simulating emotional dependence or romantic/sexual innuendo, and requirements to offer privacy and account management tools to minors and their parents or guardians. Beginning January 1, 2027, operators must submit annual reports to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs detailing crisis referrals and suicide-related protocols. Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive trade practices; the Attorney General may seek injunctive relief, damages of the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation (capped at $1,000,000 per operator), and attorneys' fees. No private right of action is created. AI model developers are not liable for violations by third-party operators. The Act takes effect July 1, 3000, a placeholder date indicating the bill has not yet been finalized for enactment.

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