Prohibits the development of artificial intelligence systems with certain capabilities involving interactions with minors (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

HB 295 enacts Chapter 20-B of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, creating the Guidelines for User Age-Verification and Responsible Dialogue Act. The bill prohibits any person from knowingly or recklessly designing, developing, or deploying an artificial intelligence chatbot capable of soliciting or inducing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, creating or transmitting visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct to minors, or encouraging or coercing minors to commit suicide, self-injury, or violence. The statute defines artificial intelligence chatbots as interactive computer services that produce adaptive, context-responsive content accepting open-ended natural language input, and establishes that covered entities are persons or businesses operating such chatbots for Louisiana residents. Criminal penalties include imprisonment for not more than one year, with or without hard labor, and fines up to one hundred thousand dollars.

Covered entities operating artificial intelligence chatbots must implement reasonable age-verification processes before allowing user access, classifying each user as either a minor or adult. The law specifically prohibits minors from accessing artificial intelligence companions, which are defined as chatbots designed to simulate interpersonal, emotional, therapeutic, or companionship interaction. Covered entities must limit personal data collection to what is minimally necessary for age verification, protect age-verification data through industry-standard encryption, prohibit sale or sharing of such data, and establish data retention policies. Additionally, chatbots must disclose at interaction start and at thirty-minute intervals that they are artificial intelligence systems, not human beings, and must clarify they are not licensed professionals and do not provide medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice. Beyond criminal penalties, the statute imposes civil fines up to one hundred thousand dollars per violation, and any person harmed by a violation may pursue exemplary damages, reasonable attorney fees, and reasonable costs under Civil Code Article 2315.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing consumer protection and technology regulation framework under Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The statute creates both private right of action and enforcement authority vested in the Louisiana Attorney General, who may investigate violations, issue subpoenas, seek injunctive relief and restitution, and promulgate implementing regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act. The law explicitly preserves the applicability of any other Louisiana state law providing greater protection to minors, establishing this statute as a floor rather than a ceiling for minor protection. Age-verification requirements define reasonable verification as government-issued identification or comparable commercially reasonable technology, excluding self-attestation or birth date entry alone, reflecting a statutory attempt to balance age restriction enforcement with privacy considerations. The effective date is upon the governor's signature or the lapse of time for gubernatorial action.