SB 3384
AI COMPANION MODEL SAFETY ACT
TL;DR
Illinois SB 3384, introduced by Senators Laura Ellman and Rachel Ventura, would regulate 'AI companion' products (chatbots and virtual companions designed for ongoing emotional or social interaction with users). The bill aims to set safety standards for these systems, particularly to protect minors and vulnerable users from harm linked to parasocial AI relationships.
How This Might Impact Your Business
Consumer-facing chatbot and virtual companion makers (think Replika, Character.AI, or similar emotional-AI products) would face new Illinois safety requirements before offering services to state residents.
Companies marketing AI companions to or accessible by minors would likely need age verification, content filters, and crisis-response protocols (such as suicide and self-harm intervention).
Mental health and wellness apps that use conversational AI for emotional support would fall into scope, even if marketed as 'wellness' rather than therapy.
Expect mandatory disclosures that users are interacting with AI, not a human, plus transparency about data collection from intimate conversations.
Edtech and gaming companies deploying AI characters with persistent memory or relationship-building features should evaluate whether their products qualify as 'companions' under the bill.
Enforcement will likely run through the Illinois Attorney General, with civil penalties typical of state AI consumer-protection laws (often $10,000 to $50,000 per violation in comparable statutes).
The bill just cleared a procedural hurdle (Rule 21 suspension passed 66-29), signaling real momentum rather than a symbolic filing.
What Should You Do
Ask product and legal teams whether any of your conversational AI features could be classified as a 'companion' product under Illinois law, especially anything with persistent memory, emotional framing, or romantic or friendship personas.
Audit current safeguards for minors and at-risk users: age gating, self-harm detection, escalation to human resources, and AI-identity disclosures.
Review data practices for intimate or emotional user inputs; these are likely to draw heightened scrutiny and may require separate consent flows.
Assign someone to track SB 3384 through Illinois Senate committee hearings and watch for amendments that expand or narrow the definition of 'AI companion.'
Benchmark against California's SB 243 (AI companion law) and pending NY proposals, since Illinois is likely to align with or borrow from those frameworks.
Who It Affects
Sponsors
Status Timeline
introduced
Suspend Rule 21 - Prevailed 066-029-000
May 25, 2026