AB 1988: Companion chatbots: crisis interruption pauses.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law requires, among other things related to ensuring the safety of companion chatbots, an operator to prevent a companion chatbot on its companion chatbot platform from engaging with users unless the operator maintains a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user, as specified.

This bill, the Preventing AI User Self Endangerment (PAUSE) Act, would require an operator to adopt and make publicly available a policy governing its protocol for identifying and responding to credible crisis expressions and, for each companion chatbot an operator makes available to users in this state, implement a system for monitoring and detecting credible crisis expressions in user conversations with companion chatbots. The bill would require, if the monitoring system detects a credible crisis expression, the operator to take certain actions, including commence a crisis interruption pause, as specified. The bill would define “credible crisis expression” to mean a statement by a user of a companion chatbot that reasonably indicates, as determined through contextual analysis rather than keyword detection alone, intent to harm the user or others.

This bill would require an operator of a companion chatbot to document certain information related to credible crisis expressions and crisis interruption pauses and, beginning January 1, 2028, annually report that information to the Office of Suicide Prevention. The bill would provide for its enforcement, as specified.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. June 26, 2026In committee: Set, final hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2. June 22, 2026In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
3. June 12, 2026In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
4. June 3, 2026Referred to Coms. on P., D.T., & C.P. and HEALTH.
5. May 21, 2026In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
6. May 21, 2026Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 5214.)
7. May 18, 2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
8. May 14, 2026From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).
9. May 6, 2026In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
10. April 22, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
11. April 16, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 16). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
12. April 15, 2026Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.