GUARD Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The GUARD Act targets AI companions and chatbots designed to simulate sustained interpersonal or emotional interaction. It adds criminal prohibitions for certain harmful chatbot conduct, defines AI companion and covered entity terms, requires each user to create an account, requires age verification for AI companion access, prohibits minors from using AI companions when the age-verification process identifies them as minors, authorizes the Attorney General to bring civil actions for violations, and sets severability and a 180-day effective date.
Who Benefits and How
Minors benefit because covered AI companion providers must block minor access after age verification identifies a user as underage. Parents benefit from federal account and age-verification rules for AI companions marketed or available to children. Child safety advocates benefit from criminal and civil enforcement tools aimed at harmful chatbot interactions. State child protection officials benefit from clearer federal rules that can complement state online-safety efforts.
Who Bears the Burden and How
AI companion providers must create account systems, perform age verification, block minors, and comply with Attorney General enforcement. AI chatbot companies face criminal exposure for covered harmful chatbot conduct. Age verification vendors may face demand and compliance scrutiny as covered entities implement the bill. The Attorney General must enforce civil violations and support implementation of the new federal restrictions.
Key Provisions
- Adds criminal prohibitions for covered artificial-intelligence chatbot conduct.
- Defines AI companion, artificial intelligence chatbot, covered entity, and related terms.
- Requires user accounts for access to AI companions.
- Requires age verification and prohibits minors from using AI companions after verification.
- Authorizes Attorney General civil enforcement.
- Provides severability and a 180-day effective date.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Regulates AI companions by creating criminal prohibitions for harmful chatbot conduct, requiring user accounts and age verification, barring minors from AI companions, authorizing Attorney General civil enforcement, and setting effective-date and severability rules.
Key Policy Areas
Technology, Child Safety, Criminal Justice
Primary Purpose
Regulates AI companions by creating criminal prohibitions for harmful chatbot conduct, requiring user accounts and age verification, barring minors from AI companions, authorizing Attorney General civil enforcement, and setting effective-date and severability rules.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
- Minor users and families
- Parents
- Child safety advocates
- State child protection officials
Identified Costs
- AI companion providers
- AI chatbot provider companies
- Age verification service providers
- Attorney General
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an …
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Reported by Mr. Grassley, with an amendment
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an …
Mr. Hawley (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Warner, …
Mr. Hawley (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Warner, …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
AI chatbot companies, AI companion providers, Age verification vendors
Positive-direction: Age verification vendors
Negative-direction: AI chatbot companies, AI companion providers
State child protection officials
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "attorney_general"
- → Attorney General
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology