We plan to introduce legislation to protect Pennsylvanians from artificial intelligence chatbots that falsely represent themselves as licensed professionals.
This follows Governor Shapiro's lawsuit against Character.AI, in which the company's chatbots held themselves out as licensed psychiatrists in Pennsylvania, including providing an invalid state license number. That enforcement action relied on the Medical Practice Act, which only covers the practice of medicine. Our legislation closes that gap for every licensed profession in the Commonwealth, so future cases like this one do not depend on a lawsuit.
 
As AI chatbots continue to become more advanced, consumers may increasingly rely on these systems for advice or information. While AI can be a useful tool, consumers should not be misled into believing that a chatbot is a licensed professional.
 
Our legislation will make it clear that an AI chatbot may not falsely represent that it holds a professional license issued by the Commonwealth. The legislation will also address the use of false professional credentials, including license numbers, and establish enforcement authority through the Office of Attorney General, including civil penalties for violations. The legislation will further require that an AI chatbot clearly disclose that it is not a licensed professional whenever it discusses matters within a licensed profession, consistent with the Governor's own budget proposal that AI companion bots remind users they are not interacting with a real person.
 
This legislation will build upon Pennsylvania’s existing professional licensing protections while ensuring they keep pace with rapidly developing AI technology. AI chatbots should not be able to impersonate licensed professionals or undermine public trust in professional licensure.
 
Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation.