AUGUSTA – On Thursday, a measure sponsored by Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, that would provide more transparency for Maine consumers interacting with online chatbots, utilizing artificial intelligence, was unanimously passed out of the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.
As amended, LD 1727 would require companies that utilize these technologies to add a disclosure informing customers that they are communicating with a non-human system during trade and commerce interactions. Companies that do not to provide proper disclosure would be in violation of Maine’s Unfair Trade Practices Act and be subject to litigation from the state’s Attorney General’s Office.
“Maine consumers deserve open and honest communications in their customer service interactions,” said Kuhn. “This bill ensures better transparency by asking companies to disclose the use of AI communication systems, like chatbots. It’s a common-sense approach that will provide some clarity while improving consumer protections as this technology evolves very rapidly.”
In recent years, experts have expressed concerns about the human-like qualities coded into artificial intelligence designs, such as chatbots and the large language models they are built on. The bill comes as states nationwide have started to introduce and pass legislation that establishes guardrails around the use of chatbots so that consumers can remain fully informed in customer service interactions.
The bill will face votes in both the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Representative Amy Kuhn is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents part of Falmouth. She is the House chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Kuhn) | 305-965-2744