Gov. Josh Green signed two bills into law on Tuesday that ensure people are protected and have tools for artificial intelligence use.
House Bill 2137 allows victims of unauthorized deepfakes to sue for damages. Under the law, victims falsely portrayed in photos or videos can seek up to $25,000 in damages for each piece of content.
Senate Bill 3001 requires AI companion operators to disclose when users are interacting with AI and encourage breaks during long conversations. It also prohibits AI companions from posing as mental health professionals and generating content that encourages harming others.
Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.
"This effort is an attempt for us to put reasonable and obvious guardrails on new revolutionary technology a little bit faster than that, so that less people, especially children, will be harmed along the way," he said during a Tuesday news conference. "These bills also reflect a desire by us in Hawai‘i to make sure that we're not fighting the tide. We need to embrace the future. We have to embrace the future, but we can do it reasonably, and we can make sure that profits are not put ahead of the safety of our children and our community. "
The bills take effect immediately.
