HR 9915
Stealth Bot Prohibition Act
TL;DR
Rep. Laurel Lee's Stealth Bot Prohibition Act would require AI chatbots and automated systems to clearly disclose they are not human when interacting with people. The bill targets 'stealth bots' that impersonate humans in online conversations, customer service, and social media. It is currently in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
How This Might Impact Your Business
Companies deploying customer service chatbots, virtual assistants, or AI voice agents would need to add clear disclosures that users are talking to a bot, not a human.
Social media platforms and marketing firms using AI-generated accounts or automated engagement tools would face new labeling requirements.
E-commerce and retail businesses using conversational AI for sales, lead generation, or support would need to audit scripts and interfaces for compliance.
Financial services and healthcare firms using AI intake or triage bots would need to review disclosure timing (upfront vs. mid-conversation).
Political campaigns, advocacy groups, and PR firms using AI personas for outreach would be directly targeted.
Enforcement details, penalty amounts, and effective dates will be defined as the bill moves through committee; expect FTC involvement given the Energy and Commerce referral.
The bill is early-stage (committee referral only) and has a single Republican sponsor, so passage this session is uncertain but bipartisan interest in bot disclosure is growing.
What Should You Do
Inventory every customer-facing chatbot, voice AI, and automated messaging tool your company uses and document current disclosure practices.
Ask your legal and compliance teams to benchmark your bot disclosures against existing state laws (California's B.O.T. Act) as a likely template for federal rules.
Brief your marketing and social media teams on any use of AI-generated personas or automated engagement that could be classified as 'stealth' activity.
Track the bill's progress through House Energy and Commerce; assign a government affairs contact to monitor markup and any companion Senate bill.
Prepare a low-cost UX update plan (banner text, opening scripts, avatar labeling) that could be deployed quickly if disclosure rules pass.
Who It Affects
Sponsors
Status Timeline
committee
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
July 23, 2026