The Briefing · Real · In force since 5 November 2025; a second law follows on 1 January 2027
New York’s AI companion law
New York’s AI companion safeguard law took effect on 5 November 2025. A provider must tell the user, clearly and in words, that the user is not talking to a human: at the beginning of any conversation with the companion, and at least every three hours while a conversation continues. Providers must also make reasonable efforts to detect expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm and refer the user to crisis services. The state attorney general enforces it, and may seek civil penalties of up to US$15,000 a day. On 28 October 2026 a second law was signed, chapter 368 of the Laws of 2026. From 1 January 2027 a provider may not offer certain features to anyone under 18, among them a companion that claims to be human or to have a romantic relationship with the user, and must first check that a user is not a minor before offering them. It must offer more than one way to check age, including at least one that does not rely on a government identity document, and delete the age information once the check is done.
In the novel, Linnet is an AI companion that forty million people talk to.