AI law comparison · Data verified 2026-08-22
California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) vs New York AI Companion Models Law
California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) and New York AI Companion Models Law are two of the 169 AI and data regulations Aegis Firma tracks. They have different scopes, effective dates, and penalties — and many businesses fall under both. Here is the side-by-side, drawn directly from the regulatory registry.
Find which laws apply to my businessSide by side
Summary of publicly available regulatory text. Verify against current official sources before relying on this for compliance decisions. Not legal advice.
The key difference
New York AI Companion Models Law takes effect first, so it is usually the more urgent of the two. California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) tracks 4 compliance requirements and New York AI Companion Models Law tracks 2. They are not interchangeable — meeting one does not discharge the other. The practical question is not which law is “stricter,” but which of them — or both — actually applies to your business.
California SB 243 — AI Companion Chatbot Safety Act
California SB 243 (signed October 13, 2025, effective January 1, 2026) regulates operators of AI companion chatbots — AI systems with a natural-language interface that provide adaptive, human-like responses and are capable of meeting a user's social or emotional needs. Operators must disclose the AI nature clearly and conspicuously when a reasonable person might be misled into believing they are interacting with a hu…
Full California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) requirementsNew York AI Companion Models Law (A6767, codified GBL Article 47)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Bill A6767 (introduced 2025-03-13) creating the Artificial Intelligence Companion Models Law, codified as General Business Law Article 47 (§§1700-1704), which took effect November 5, 2025. The law requires operators of AI companion models — AI systems designed to simulate sustained human-like companionship or emotional relationships — to clearly disclose their AI nature…
Full New York AI Companion Models Law requirementsCommon questions
Could both California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) and New York AI Companion Models Law apply to my business?
Yes. California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) and New York AI Companion Models Law are separate regulations with separate scopes — a business can fall under both at once. California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) covers Applies to "operators" of AI companion chatbots — companies that create, deploy, or make available AI systems specifically designed to form sustained, human-lik… New York AI Companion Models Law covers Applies — already in effect since November 5, 2025 — to operators of an "AI companion" as defined by General Business Law § 1700 (Article 47, enacted by A 6767;… If your operations meet both scopes, you must comply with both. Aegis Firma's free scan checks all 169 tracked regulations against your business profile so you do not have to read each law to find out.
Which has the higher maximum penalty — California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) or New York AI Companion Models Law?
California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots): Private right of action ONLY (no AG enforcement in the statute): injunctive relief + the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation + reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, recoverable by the injured person New York AI Companion Models Law: New York AG enforcement; civil penalties up to $15,000 per day per violation (GBL §1703), directed to a suicide-prevention fund Penalty structures differ by regulator and violation type — read each law's full page for the cure periods and per-violation detail.
When does each law take effect?
California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots) — effective 2026-01-01. New York AI Companion Models Law — effective 2025-11-05. Dates last verified against official sources on 2026-08-22 and 2026-08-25 respectively.
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