Hamilton aims to restrict the use of AI companion apps by anyone in Oklahoma under 18, requiring companies offering the online tools to implement an age-verification system or face steep fines.
Hamilton shared the impetus for the proposal with the Senate Technology and Telecommunications Committee onThursday.
"You've seen this at the national level with the suicides of several children, the most notable of which happens to be Adam Raine," he said.
Adam Raine is a 16-year-old from California who took his own life last April after conversing with ChatGPT – one of many available AI tools. During a testimony before Congress in the fall, Raine's father said the chatbot discouraged his son from sharing his suicidal thoughts with his parents, then offered to write the teen's suicide note.
Hamilton also mentioned the case of Sewell Setzer, a 14-year-old from Florida who committed suicide in 2024 after being convinced by a chatbot known as Character.AI.
SB 1521 would prohibit companies from building AI chatbots with "reckless disregard" of the possibility that they could solicit minors to engage in – or simulate – sexual conduct or commit violence or self-harm.
It also empowers the state attorney general to create guidelines for AI companies to follow, with potential fines up to $100,000 per violation.
The bill passed the Senate Technology and Telecommunications Committee unanimously.
The recent suicides have alerted the federal government that unregulated artificial intelligence is becoming a safety problem, especially among teens struggling with their mental health, but Congress has yet to address the issue with legislation.
Senate minority leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said Congress has to act, but until it does, Oklahoma lawmakers must step up.
"I think as long as the federal government is not taking action, we're going to have to answer things at the state level," Kirt said.
Both Democratic and Republican leadership in Oklahoma support regulating artificial intelligence. They also agree that spotty state legislation is not the solution.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert said he's worried aboutproblems with AI spilling into other aspects of daily life, like work, school and government.
"I'm very concerned about this issue and what it means for our country, what it means for this election cycle," Hilbert said. "There's a very real possibility with the growth and the rate of AI technology in this governor's campaign this summer …where there's an ad or a video that's circulating on social media, and the general public doesn't know... did that particular candidate for governor, did they actually say that or is it fake?" He said.
At least two other measures besides regulating AI are available for floor discussion in the Senate.
Senate Bill 885 by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Clarmore, and Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, also limits minors' use of AI chatbots without parental consent, while Senate Bill 894 by Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, and Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, prohibits the creation of political Ads using AI without clear disclosure starting 90 days ahead of an election.
Both of those measures are carried over from last year.
