Senators Justice, Kelly Introduce Bipartisan Senior Chatbot Protection Act

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Senator Jim Justice and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the bipartisan Senior Chatbot Protection Act to enact safeguards for senior Americans using A.I. chatbots. “A.I. chatbots are an incredible tool for older Americans, but we can’t miss the opportunity to protect our seniors who rely on chatbots for support, companionship, and even important decisions during critical times. The Senior Chatbot Protection Act sets transparency standards, so our seniors know they are speaking with a chatbot and not a real person—whether in everyday conversations or when making high-stakes decisions. I applaud Senator Kelly for spearheading this important legislation that can make a real difference in the lives of our seniors,” said Senator Jim Justice . “AI is a powerful tool that can help seniors live more independently. It can help them manage their finances, keep track of medications and doctor’s appointments, and navigate everyday tasks that become more challenging with age. But seniors need to know when they’re talking to a machine, what its limits are, and how their information is being used to make sure they aren’t being scammed or put at risk,” said Senator Mark Kelly . BACKGROUND: The Senior Chatbot Protect Act will: Require clear AI disclosures so that users would be told when they are interacting with AI, and companies could not falsely represent that a chatbot is human or that a response came from a licensed professional. Provide added protections when a conversation involves health care, estate planning, guardianship, or a crisis so that the chatbot would provide additional warnings, direct users toward appropriate support, and make clear it is not a substitute for qualified professional advice. Protect sensitive conversations by making companies face limits on using covered conversation data for targeted advertising, profiling, sharing with third parties, or AI training without clear consent. Users would have a clear way to delete conversation history. Address deceptive design practices by ensuring companies take steps to prevent designs that encourage excessive reliance, discourage users from seeking help from family or professionals, or pressure users to keep engaging after they try to stop. Senator Justice is on the Special Committee on Aging and is a huge advocate for protecting our seniors. Read the bill text HERE . # # #