California B.O.T. Act: what it requires from your chatbot
California B.O.T. Act, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17940–17943 (SB 1001)
When it applies
In force since July 1, 2019.
The obligation
It is unlawful to use a bot to communicate with a person in California with the intent to mislead about its artificial identity in order to incentivize a purchase or sale of goods or services, or to influence a vote, without a clear, conspicuous disclosure that it is a bot.
The disclosure pattern it expects
A disclosure that is clear, conspicuous, and reasonably designed to inform the person they are interacting with a bot. Disclosed's persistent badge plus first-message notice meets this on every page where the widget loads.
Readiness checklist
- Any bot used in sales, marketing, or persuasion contexts identifies itself as a bot.
- The disclosure is clear and conspicuous within the conversation, not in separate fine print.
- The disclosure appears wherever Californians can reach the bot.
- Disclosure records are retained to evidence the conspicuous disclosure.
See also the other jurisdictions: EU AI Act, Article 50(1) · Colorado ADMT law (SB 26-189) · Utah AI Policy Act
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Disclosed provides compliance tooling and records; this document is not legal advice. Review it with your counsel before relying on it.