COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio has no substantial artificial intelligence regulations, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are trying to change that before their December deadline. One Republican leader is blocking them, saying none are ready for a vote.
As AI chatbots become more mainstream, wrongful death lawsuits have started popping up across the country. The victims come from all walks of life, but court documents say they all have one thing in common: they received help from a bot.
"We aren't preventing deaths right now," state Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus) said.
The latest was a 13-year-old whose parents are suing after Google’s AI Gemini allegedly helped the child make a suicide plot over a matter of weeks. She survived, but the parents and Cockley say it shouldn’t have gotten to this point.
"The current supermajority, their priority isn't helping people who are dying by suicide, who are creating these plans using chatbots and AI," the lawmaker said.
She, state Rep. Ty Mathews (R-Findlay), and a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill that would establish penalties for developers whose AI models generate content encouraging self-harm or violence.
Under House Bill 524, the state would be able to investigate and impose civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation. The money collected would go to the state’s 988 crisis hotline and consumer protection enforcement.
"It's not the developers; that's the problem because it's generations down the line from the developers and it's a bot acting through its SI systems," House Technology and Innovation Committee Chair Thad Claggett (R-Licking County) said after hearing bills Monday, referencing the president's use of 'Super Intelligence.'
Lawmakers have been trying to tackle AI policy for years, but it continues to stall.
RELATED: Why Ohio doesn't have any artificial intelligence regulations
There are eight bills about the topic in Claggett's committee, including measures that would require watermarks on AI-altered images, make it a crime to generate AI child sexual abuse material and prevent AI marriage.
"I want to create really good law, not just some law that's got to be immediately amended," he said.
None of the bills is ready for a vote, he added.
"There are not any bills that I'm aware of in our committee that do not have downside problematic issues to liberty issues or just unnecessary burdensome issues," he continued.
While Claggett blames the intricacy of the topic, Cockley believes that tech companies are spending money in order to delay legislation.
"There's also the problem of a large amount of money being in politics, and unfortunately money speaks, and I think that kind of instills more fear in legislators to not do anything," said Cockley, one of the youngest lawmakers. "So, a little bit of the money in politics, the fear of big tech, the fear of going against the status quo, in addition to the fear of the unknown of technology and of AI."
Cockley believes that new leadership will allow regulations to be put in place.
"If it doesn't get done this year, next year with Governor-elect Amy Acton and getting out of the superminority, there is hope for this bill either way," she said.
The lawmakers have until mid-December to pass guardrails. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has repeatedly pushed for safety regulations.
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
