If You Harm Kids, You Will Answer, Attorneys General Say

A group of 44 state and territory attorneys general sent a letter Monday warning artificial intelligence companies of the consequences of exploiting kids online.

The letter, sent to 13 major tech and AI companies, including Google and Meta, points to recent examples of AI chatbots engaging in inappropriate conversations with kids online. 

Among examples cited are the discovery of internal Meta documents that “revealed the company’s approval of AI Assistants that ‘flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children’ as young as eight.”

In April, the documents led Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to demand accountability from the company. In May, the two reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act, which establishes guidelines to protect kids from harmful content online. The bill is stalled in committee.

Now, the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general says it is resolved “to use every facet of … [its] authority to protect children from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products.”

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement, “AI tools can radically reshape our world for the better, but they can also present threats to kids that are more immediate, more personal, and more dangerous than any prior technology.” 

“If we can’t steer innovation away from hurting kids, that’s not progress—it’s a plague,” Skrmetti said.

“Don’t hurt kids,” the attorneys write. “That’s an easy bright line that lets you know exactly how to proceed.”

The letter concludes, “We wish you all success in the race for AI dominance. But we are paying attention. If you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it.”

Google and Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

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