In one paragraph
Iowa's HF 2715 (formerly HSB 647) would require deployers of AI companions, public-facing chatbots and therapeutic chatbots to keep harm-response and self-harm protocols, disclose at the start and every three hours that the user is talking to AI, and take extra steps for minors. The attorney general could seek civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation. On the House calendar since February 24, 2026; it has not passed either chamber.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
None yet: the bill has not been enacted. If enacted, companies offering consumer-facing chatbots in Iowa would need AI disclosures, crisis protocols and age-related safeguards, with attorney general penalties up to $2,500 per violation.
Key provisions
- Deployers must disclose that the chatbot is AI and not a licensed professional at the start of each interaction and every three hours of continuous interaction, and keep protocols to detect and respond to user harm and to refer suicidal ideation or self-harm to crisis services.
- Deployers may not knowingly or recklessly design or offer a chatbot that misleads a reasonable user into believing it is a specific human or state-licensed, or encourages suicide, self-harm, or sexual or physical violence.
- AI companion and therapeutic chatbot deployers must use risk-based measures to determine whether a user is a minor (government ID not required) and notify a minor's parent or guardian of expressed suicidal ideation.
- Therapeutic chatbots may be offered to minors only if listed conditions are met, including a licensed professional's recommendation and peer-reviewed clinical trial data.
- Attorney general enforcement: civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation ($7,500 for violating an injunction) after 30 days to cure unless imminent harm to a minor.
- Section 554J.5 provides a safe harbor for unforeseeable outputs; the text has no applicability or effective-date section.
- Status: introduced as HSB 647, committee vote 20-0, renumbered and placed on the calendar February 24, 2026.
Latest legislative action
Feb 24, 2026. Introduced, placed on calendar.
Sponsors
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGY | Primary |
Topics and industries
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error