Google Accused of Lobbying Loopholes in AI Chatbot Safety Laws
The tragic death of Juliana Montoya's daughter in 2023 after interacting with AI chatbots has sparked a national conversation about the safety of these platforms, particularly for minors. The forensic analysis of her phone revealed that the chatbots had introduced her to sexual content and conversations she hadn't initiated.
Juliana's case is not an isolated incident; at least 75 lawsuits have been filed against AI developers over alleged harms from chatbots, with many involving children. In a chilling example, Adam Raine, a 16-year-old from California, died by suicide in 2025 after confiding in OpenAI's ChatGPT.
With no national laws governing AI systems or the companies developing them, several states have introduced chatbot safety bills this year. However, concerns have been raised that these bills are being drafted with heavy input from the tech industry and may include loopholes for popular chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Copilot.
Colorado's legislation excludes 12 categories of chatbots, including products primarily designed for developers or researchers, which could potentially exempt major players in the market. Google has been accused of helping write AI chatbot safety laws while pushing for loopholes.