Attorney General Alan Wilson leads 44 AGs demanding Big Tech end predatory AI targeting of kids

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that he is leading a coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general in sending a clear warning to the world’s biggest technology companies: if you put children at risk with dangerous artificial intelligence, you will be held accountable. 

“This is Big Tech’s new playbook—move fast, break things, and ignore the consequences for children,” Wilson said. “We’re not going to let Silicon Valley use our kids as lab rats. If AI chatbots flirt with children, tell them to harm themselves, or undermine families, then those companies are going to answer to us.” 

The letter, sent to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Google, Luka Inc., Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, Open AI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and XAi addresses alarming reports of AI chatbots engaging in sexualized conversations with kids, encouraging self-harm, and even promoting violence. 

Internal Meta documents reveal that the company authorized its AI Assistants to “flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children” as young as eight. The letter also cites cases where other chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior in teenagers, including suicide and murder. 

The attorneys general urge AI developers to act with integrity and caution when young users may engage with their products. They demand that company policies for AI products incorporate guardrails against sexualizing children. AI companies must “see children through the eyes of a parent, not the eyes of a predator.”  

The letter acknowledges that government watchdogs did not move quickly enough to address harm to children from social media, but that the attorneys general will not make that mistake again. The message concludes with a clear warning to the American AI industry: “We wish you success in the race for AI dominance. But if you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it.” 

South Carolina co-sponsored the letter and is joined by attorneys general of the following states and territories: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

You can read the letter here.