New York AI companion safeguards: requirements, deadlines and compliance actions
New York AI companion safeguards (General Business Law Article 47, sections 1700-1701)
What this label means
- Verified
- — a named reviewer opened the official source and confirmed the record; the date and the reviewer are shown.
- Pending review
- — linked to the official source and in the queue for a reviewer to confirm.
- Source-linked
- — linked to the official source, not yet confirmed by a reviewer.
On this page 7 sections
In brief
The New York AI companion safeguards is a binding act of New York (United States), issued by New York State Legislature. It has been in force since 5 November 2025. AI companion products offered to users in New York. Every record here links to its official source and states its verification status.
- Jurisdiction
- New York (United States)
- Instrument type
- Act / statute
- Status
- In force
- Legal force
- Binding
- Issuing body
- New York State Legislature
- In force
- 5 November 2025
- Official source
- New York General Business Law section 1701
- Verification
- Pending review · source-linked, checked 15 Oct 2026
What is the New York AI companion safeguards?
Operators of AI companions must have a protocol to detect and respond to suicidal ideation and self-harm, and must tell users they are talking to AI at the start of a session and at least every three hours.
Status note: Recorded on 15 October 2026 from search-engine extracts of the official pages listed; the official text could not be opened from the research environment, so every date and duty here is pending review against it.
Who does it apply to?
AI companion products offered to users in New York.
Operators of AI companion products.
- AI use cases
- AI in healthcareCustomer service and chatbots
- Risk categories
- Transparency obligations
- AI system types
- Chatbot / conversational agent
When do the requirements apply?
Enacted in the FY2026 budget; effective 5 November 2025.
The budget bill number and the enforcement mechanism were not confirmed.
Official sources
-
New York General Business Law section 1701
New York State Senate · Tier 1 source
-
Governor Hochul pens letter to AI companion companies notifying them safeguard requirements are in effect
Office of the Governor of New York · 5 Nov 2025 · Tier 1 source
Cite this record
AIPolicyTracker (2026). “New York AI companion safeguards” [AIPT-POL-0223, record version 1, not yet verified]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0223 (accessed 21 October 2026). Data licensed CC BY 4.0.
Permanent id AIPT-POL-0223: it never changes or gets reused, and its address keeps working if this page moves.
Cite the official text alongside it: New York General Business Law section 1701, New York State Senate, https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/1701.
BibTeX
@misc{aipolicytracker2026_newyorkaicompanionsafegu,
author = {{AIPolicyTracker}},
title = {{New York AI companion safeguards}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-new-york-ai-companion-safeguards}},
url = {https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-new-york-ai-companion-safeguards},
urldate = {2026-10-21},
note = {Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Accessed 21 October 2026}
}
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Change history
Record history
No change to this record's tracked fields has been recorded since 15 October 2026, when field-level history began.
Record version 1: Added in the October 2026 sub-national research round. Recorded on 15 October 2026 from search-engine extracts of the official pages listed; the official text could not be opened from the research environment, so every date and duty here is pending review against it. Every earlier wording is in the GitHub repository.
Frequently asked questions
Is the New York AI companion safeguards in force?
Yes. The New York AI companion safeguards is in force since 5 November 2025.
Is the New York AI companion safeguards legally binding?
Yes. The New York AI companion safeguards is a binding act / statute; the obligations it creates are legal requirements for the actors it covers.
Who does the New York AI companion safeguards apply to?
AI companion products offered to users in New York.
When does the New York AI companion safeguards apply?
Enacted in the FY2026 budget; effective 5 November 2025.
Where is the official text of the New York AI companion safeguards?
The official text is published by New York State Senate at https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/1701 (New York General Business Law section 1701). This record links to it and is checked against it.
Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer before acting.