HR 7218
CHAT Act
TL;DR
Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) introduced the CHAT Act to require AI chatbots to disclose that users are talking to a machine, not a human. The bill also mandates verifiable age verification before minors can use consumer-facing chatbots, targeting platforms like ChatGPT, Replika, and customer service bots.
How This Might Impact Your Business
Consumer-facing chatbot operators would need to display clear, upfront disclosures that users are interacting with AI, not a human agent
Companies offering chatbots accessible to minors must implement age verification before granting access, affecting social platforms, gaming, edtech, and mental health apps
Customer service operations using AI chat (retail, banking, telecom, airlines) would need to audit and update chatbot scripts to include mandatory disclosures
Companion AI apps and character chatbots (Replika, Character.AI, similar products) face the heaviest lift given their teen user bases
Enforcement likely falls under the FTC through the House Energy and Commerce Committee's jurisdiction, meaning violations could trigger unfair-practices penalties
The bill is early stage (committee referral only), so specific fine amounts and effective dates are not yet finalized
B2B chatbots and internal enterprise AI tools appear outside the primary scope, which focuses on consumer interactions
What Should You Do
Inventory every customer-facing chatbot your company operates and confirm each one discloses its AI nature at the start of conversations
Ask product and legal teams to evaluate whether any of your AI tools are accessible to users under 18 and what age-gating would cost to implement
Review vendor contracts with chatbot providers (Intercom, Drift, Ada, OpenAI-powered tools) to clarify who bears disclosure and age-verification responsibility
Assign someone to track HR 7218 through the Energy and Commerce Committee for markup activity and companion Senate bills
Benchmark against California's SB 1001 bot disclosure law, which offers a preview of likely federal compliance mechanics
Who It Affects
Sponsors
Status Timeline
committee
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
January 22, 2026