Senate Bill 540 (2026): AI companion chatbots - disclosures, protections for minors and crisis protocols (O.C.G.A. 39-5-6)

Record US-GA-01 · SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S); adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6

Issued by: Georgia General Assembly (sponsor Sen. Jason Anavitarte and others); signed by Governor Brian P. Kemp
Jurisdiction: Georgia (US)
Level · region: Sub-national · North America
Country: United States
Published / adopted: 2026-05
In force: 2027-07-01
Language: English
Official identifier: SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S); adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6

Summary

Adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6 on AI companion chatbots (systems simulating a sustained human-like relationship). Operators must disclose that users are talking to AI at each session and every three hours (hourly for minors). For minors they must prevent sexual content, claims of being human, romantic role-play, encouragement of secrecy, isolation or self-harm and engagement-prolonging techniques, and offer parental tools. All operators need a crisis protocol referring users to the 988 lifeline, published with annual referral counts, may not claim to be licensed providers and must assure age before sexually explicit features. The Attorney General may seek up to USD 10,000 per knowing violation.

Safety topics

child safetytransparency & labellingincident reportingaccountability & liability

Open question

the checker found something possibly newer: {'url': 'https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/248169', 'reason': 'official page found by the targeted search for a newer or fuller text; not stored'} Issue #146

The record shows its last checked values until a maintainer decides; the decision is recorded in its history.

Status notes

The Georgia Senate Press Office announced the Governor's signature on 15 May 2026 without giving the day of signing, so only the month is recorded. The Act takes effect on 1 July 2027 (Section 2). The Attorney General enforces it by civil action and may recover civil penalties, compensatory damages, costs and attorney's fees and an injunction, with each day of violation counted separately for each affected user; for a first violation that involves no knowing misconduct, sexual exploitation of a minor or self-harm-related misconduct, the Attorney General may allow 30 days to cure. The Attorney General may adopt rules and publish guidance. The Code section creates no liability for a developer whose conversational AI service is made available by a separate operator, and no express private right of action.

Sources

Open the official source https://gov.georgia.gov/document/2026-signed-legislation/sb-540/download

Secondary source: https://senatepress.net/majority-leader-jason-anavitarte-applauds-signing-of-sb-540-to-protect-children-online.html

Local copy

Archived. Last attempt 2026-10-17 23:06:15 UTC

Official source (third-party copy, not published) archive/US-GA-01/2026-10-12/official.pdf

Retrieved 2026-10-12 04:49:02 UTC

SHA-256 7fb0d4fe0f1cd5cfa5daa4381f2cc57ddf94f89f116d49ae536b4fc26c62e727

Secondary source (third-party copy, not published) archive/US-GA-01/2026-10-12/secondary.html

Retrieved 2026-10-12 04:49:05 UTC

SHA-256 3d49cb9d536d060a262897c6d59fa6158edfc5a3eb01e99b1899a4d4b942b479

Verification

Another official source, such as an announcement by the issuer, confirms the title, date and status. checked 2026-10-18 · alternative-official-url-fetched

Recheck of 18 Oct 2026: re-read the 'as passed' text of SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S) hosted on the Governor of Georgia's 2026 signed-legislation page (gov.georgia.gov, stored 12 Oct 2026) and the Georgia Senate Press Office release of 15 May 2026 (senatepress.net, listed as the Senate Press Office's official site; stored as the secondary source). The bill text confirms the title, sponsors, provisions, penalties and the 1 Jul 2027 effective date; the release confirms that Governor Kemp signed the bill and the effective date. Neither shows the day of signing or the Act number; a tracker's 11 May 2026 is not confirmed by any official source and is not used. The session label '2025-2026 Regular Session' was removed from issuing_body and official_identifier because no stored file shows it, and the comparison with peer statutes was removed from the notes.

Second check: Independent check by Claude Code (claude-sonnet-5-5), 2026-10-18: 9 field(s) supported.

History

2026-10-18verification.level: A → B — level computed from the evidence by tools/pipeline.py2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18notes: The Senate Press Office announced the Governor's signature on 15 May 2026; secon → The Georgia Senate Press Office announced the Governor's signature on 15 May 202 — the tracker's 11 May 2026 signing date (no stored official source) and the unsupported comparison with peer statutes removed; 'exclusive to the Attorney General' replaced by what the text says (the Attorney General may bring a civil action; no express private right of action); remedies, per-day counting, rules and guidance, and the developer carve-out added2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18summary: Adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6 on 'AI companion chatbots' (systems simulating a sustained → Adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6 on AI companion chatbots (systems simulating a sustained hu — hourly disclosure for minors added; secrecy, isolation and self-harm prohibitions for minors added; tightened to the 700-character limit2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18official_identifier: SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S), 2025-2026 Regular Session; adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6 → SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S); adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6 — '2025-2026 Regular Session' removed for the same reason; the LC number and the Code section stay2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18issuing_body: Georgia General Assembly (2025-2026 Regular Session; sponsor Sen. Jason Anavitar → Georgia General Assembly (sponsor Sen. Jason Anavitarte and others); signed by G — '2025-2026 Regular Session' removed: no stored file shows the session label2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)

Related records

California SB 243 (companion chatbots) California (US) · In force

Nebraska Conversational AI Safety Act (LB 525) Nebraska (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Iowa conversational AI services law (SF 2417) Iowa (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Idaho Conversational AI Safety Act (SB 1297) Idaho (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Connecticut Public Act 26-15 (SB 5, AI and online safety) Connecticut (US) · Partially in force

Rhode Island AI Companion Models Act (S 2195) Rhode Island (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Citation

Georgia General Assembly (sponsor Sen. Jason Anavitarte and others); signed by Governor Brian P. Kemp. Senate Bill 540 (2026): AI companion chatbots - disclosures, protections for minors and crisis protocols (O.C.G.A. 39-5-6) [SB 540 (26 LC 64 0123S); adds O.C.G.A. 39-5-6]. 2026-05. https://gov.georgia.gov/document/2026-signed-legislation/sb-540/download. Status: Adopted, not yet in force; verified 2026-10-18 (level B). Local copy archive/US-GA-01/2026-10-12/official.pdf retrieved 2026-10-12 04:49:02 UTC, SHA-256 7fb0d4fe0f1cd5cfa5daa4381f2cc57ddf94f89f116d49ae536b4fc26c62e727. Every AI Policy Ever, version 1.18 (snapshot 2026-10-18), record US-GA-01.

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