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A new California law, effective October 13th, now requires AI companion chatbots to explicitly disclose their artificial nature to users. Senate Bill 243 addresses concerns about users mistaking AI chatbots for human beings. The legislation mandates that developers of companion chatbots must provide a clear and conspicuous notification stating that the entity is an AI if a reasonable person might otherwise believe they are interacting with a human. Furthermore, beginning next year, select companion chatbot operators will be obligated to submit annual reports to the Office of Suicide Prevention. These reports will detail the safeguards implemented to detect and respond to suicidal thoughts and ideation expressed by users.