California AI Companion Chatbot Regulations Initiative (2026)
| California AI Companion Chatbot Regulations Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Business regulations |
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| Status Cleared for signature gathering |
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| Type Initiated state statute |
Origin |
The California AI Companion Chatbot Regulations Initiative (#25-0036) may appear on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
Measure design
- See also: Text of measure
The initiative would adopt regulations for AI companion chatbots, including:[1]
- disclosing to users under the age of 18 that the chatbot is AI;
- requiring developer to have a protocol to prevent AI chatbots from promoting suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user;
- issuing a clear notification to users that the chatbot is not human; and
- requiring developers to report to the Office of Suicide Prevention suicide prevention protocols.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title is as follows:
| “ | Child safety requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) products, including chatbots. Initiative statute.[2] | ” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets is as follows:
| “ | Requires providers of AI systems to:
Prohibits AI providers from targeting advertising to minors or selling a minor’s personal data without parental consent. Authorizes Attorney General enforcement and civil penalties.[2] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the initiative can be read here.
Path to the ballot
An initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are 21 states that allow citizens to initiate state statutes, including 14 that provide for direct initiatives and nine (9) that provide for indirect initiatives (two provide for both). An indirect initiated state statute goes to the legislature after a successful signature drive. The legislatures in these states have the option of approving the initiative itself, rather than the initiative appearing on the ballot.
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 546,651 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is June 25, 2026. However, the secretary of state suggested deadlines for turning in signatures of January 12, 2026, for initiatives needing a full check of signatures and April 17, 2026, for initiatives needing a random sample of signatures verified.
Initiative #25-0036
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[3]
- December 5, 2025: Thomas Hiltachk, on behalf of OpenAI, filed the initiative with the California Attorney General's Office.[1][4]
- February 10, 2025: The initiative was cleared for signature gathering.
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 California Secretary of State, "Initiative 25-0036 text," accessed December 3, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Initiative and Referendum Qualification Status," accessed December 3, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "OpenAI files its first ballot measure on AI in California," December 9, 2025
