# Tell users that an AI companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human, at the start and at least every three hours

- **Record type**: Obligation
- **Instrument**: Washington ESHB 2225: AI companion chatbots (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026)
- **Jurisdiction**: Washington State (United States)
- **Category**: transparency
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Applies from**: 2027-01-01
- **Provision**: ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 3

## In brief

Tell users that an AI companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human, at the start and at least every three hours is a legal requirement under the Washington AI companion chatbot law (ESHB 2225) in Washington State (United States) (ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 3). It applies from 1 January 2027.

## What the duty requires

An operator (anyone who makes an AI companion chatbot available to users in Washington, or controls access to it) must give a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the chatbot is artificially generated and not human. The notice is given at the beginning of the interaction and again at least every three hours while the interaction continues. The operator must also take reasonable measures to stop the chatbot from claiming to be human, including when the user asks, and from producing any other output that contradicts the disclosure.

## What an organisation does about it

Show a prominent "you are talking to an AI, not a person" notice when each interaction starts and on a timer of three hours or less, and instruct and test the model so it never says or implies it is human, especially when asked directly.

## Controls that meet this duty

- Adversarial and red-team testing for generative AI (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/genai-red-team-testing
- AI interaction and use disclosure notices (satisfies): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/ai-interaction-and-use-disclosure

## Parent instrument

- Washington ESHB 2225: AI companion chatbots (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026)
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-washington-eshb-2225-ai-companion-chatbots
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-washington-eshb-2225-ai-companion-chatbots.md

## Provenance

- **Permanent id**: AIPT-OBL-0123 (https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0123; never changes or gets reused)
- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/obligations/us-washington-eshb-2225-ai-disclosure
- **Official source**: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/2225-S.SL.pdf
- **Provision**: ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 3
- **Review status**: pending review
- **Confidence**: high
- **Facts last confirmed**: never confirmed against the official source
- **Retrieved**: 2026-11-12
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- **Cite as**: AIPolicyTracker (2026). "Tell users that an AI companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human, at the start and at least every three hours (Washington AI companion chatbot law (ESHB 2225))" [AIPT-OBL-0123, not yet verified]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0123 (accessed 12 November 2026).

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.