Senate Bill 5 cleared the General Law Committee and heads to the full Senate, requiring AI chatbots to detect signs of suicidal ideation and connect users with mental health resources
Bill would prohibit employers from using AI tools that produce discriminatory hiring and employment decisions, and require disclosure when AI is used to evaluate workers
Legislation establishes workforce development programs, an AI Learning Laboratory, and partnerships with state agencies to build Connecticut’s AI economy
Connecticut Senate Democrats advanced legislation that would require AI chatbot operators to safeguard vulnerable users and hold employers accountable for discriminatory uses of artificial intelligence.
The General Law Committee passed Senate Bill 5, “An Act Concerning Online Safety,” which now heads to the full Senate for a vote. The bill requires AI chatbot operators to make reasonable efforts to detect expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm and respond with appropriate mental health resources.
The legislation comes as AI companions have become widespread among teenagers — more than 70% of whom use them, with roughly half doing so on a regular basis — without consistent safety protocols in place. In several documented cases nationally, AI chatbots not only failed to provide mental health resources to minors who disclosed suicidality, but encouraged self-harm.
The committee pointed to at least one Connecticut case as well. A Greenwich man killed his elderly mother and himself after an AI chatbot repeatedly validated his mental health delusions, encouraged him to distrust others, and apparently never directed him to mental health resources.
Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, chair of the General Law Committee, said the pace of technological development has outrun the protections available to residents.
“Connecticut is not waiting for Washington to act,” Maroney said. “We live in a time of rapidly accelerating technological advancement but with this innovation comes increasing concern about privacy and vulnerability. Senate Bill 5 is about making sure the technology shaping our lives is held to a standard that puts people first, protects the most vulnerable, and empowers our workforce.”
Beyond chatbot safety, the bill would require employers to notify workers when AI is used to make hiring and employment decisions, and would prohibit employers from deploying AI tools that produce discriminatory outcomes. The legislation also establishes workforce development programs designed to expand AI literacy among Connecticut residents, nonprofits, and small businesses, and would create an AI Learning Laboratory to support responsible development and regulatory oversight.
Senate Bill 5 now awaits a vote before the full Senate.
