AB 1609: Customer service chatbots.

Existing law prohibits a person from using a bot, as defined, to mislead another person about the bots artificial identity to incentivize the purchase or sale of goods or services, among other things. Existing law requires an operator of a companion chatbot, as defined, to provide a disclosure regarding the companion chatbots artificial identity if a reasonable person interacting with the companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human.

This bill would prohibit an operator of a customer service chatbot available to a person in this state a large private business, as defined, from representing that a customer service chatbot is a human. The bill would also require the operator large private business to provide certain disclosures if a reasonable person interacting with the chatbot would be misled to believe they are interacting with a human.

The bill would require an operator of a large online business, as specified, a large private business to provide consumers customers with human customer service support and communications within 5 15 minutes of requesting human customer service. The bill would impose certain specific requirements on telephonic customer service platforms and online customer service platforms. The bill would require certain operators to offer a telephonic customer service platform and post large private businesses, and would require certain large private businesses to post prescribed contact information on their internet website.

The bill would require an operator to establish and maintain a process for complaints regarding the customers inability to obtain assistance from a customer service agent. The bill would authorize the Attorney General or a district attorney a public prosecutor to enforce these provisions, and would make an entity a large private business that engages in a pattern or practice of violating violates these provisions liable for a penalty of up to $10,000. The bill would authorize the Attorney General to adopt regulations for these purposes, as specified. The bill would waive its requirements during a state of emergency or extraordinary circumstances, as specified due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the reasonable control of a large private business, and would exempt a large private business that provides services subject to, and is in compliance with, a specified public utilities law. The bill would define terms for these purposes.