California SB 243: Companion Chatbots — provisions explorer

A procurement officer evaluating a vendor against California SB 243: Companion Chatbots can use this page to walk the operative articles + paragraphs the instrument touches, anchored to the primary source. Each row groups every coverage cell that names that article so the reader sees WHICH governance topic each clause speaks to. Use it as a checklist scaffold, not as legal advice (see charter §7.4).

Article 22602

2 cells

governs
Transparency Obligations
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(a) (added by SB 243) — operator must issue a clear-and-conspicuous notification that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human where a reasonable person would be misled; § 22602(c) adds, for known minors, a default every-three-hours AI-reminder + break notification
Verbatim text:
“If a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human, an operator shall issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human.”
Open primary source: Cal. Stats. 2025, ch. 677 (SB 243); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, Div. 8, ch. 22.6, §§ 22601–22606 (added by SB 243, approved by Governor Oct. 13, 2025)
Contract clause language candidates
Candidate language — not legal advice (see /wiki/charter §7.4)
- Vendor shall, on request, produce evidence of completion of any reporting, registration, or conformity-assessment obligations attaching to the offered system under California SB 243: Companion Chatbots 22602(a), and shall notify the buyer in writing within 30 days of any material change to that compliance status.
implicit
AI in Healthcare
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(b) (added by SB 243) — operator must maintain a protocol preventing production of suicidal-ideation/self-harm content and referring the user to crisis-service providers, published on its website; § 22603 reports referral data to the Office of Suicide Prevention
Editor rationale: Self-harm/crisis-referral protocol touches mental-health crisis response, but SB 243 is a consumer-protection duty on operators, not a clinical/medical-device regime — implicit.
Verbatim text:
“an operator must maintain a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content, including providing a notification that refers the user to crisis service providers when the user expresses such ideation”
Open primary source: Cal. Stats. 2025, ch. 677 (SB 243); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, Div. 8, ch. 22.6, §§ 22601–22606 (added by SB 243, approved by Governor Oct. 13, 2025)
Contract clause language candidates
Candidate language — not legal advice (see /wiki/charter §7.4)
- Vendor shall, on request, produce evidence of completion of any reporting, registration, or conformity-assessment obligations attaching to the offered system under California SB 243: Companion Chatbots 22602(b), and shall notify the buyer in writing within 30 days of any material change to that compliance status.

Article 22605

1 cell

governs
Individual Redress
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22605 (added by SB 243) — private right of action: a person injured in fact by a violation may sue for injunctive relief, the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation, and attorney's fees and costs
Verbatim text:
“A person who suffers injury in fact as a result of a violation of this chapter may bring a civil action to recover all of the following relief: (a) Injunctive relief. (b) Damages in an amount equal to the greater of actual damages or one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation. (c) Reasonable attorney's fees and costs.”
Open primary source: Cal. Stats. 2025, ch. 677 (SB 243); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, Div. 8, ch. 22.6, §§ 22601–22606 (added by SB 243, approved by Governor Oct. 13, 2025)

California SB 243: Companion Chatbots — provisions explorer

Article 22602

2 cells

governs
Transparency Obligations
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(a) (added by SB 243) — operator must issue a clear-and-conspicuous notification that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human where a reasonable person would be misled; § 22602(c) adds, for known minors, a default every-three-hours AI-reminder + break notification
Verbatim text:
“If a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human, an operator shall issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human.”
Open primary source: Cal. Stats. 2025, ch. 677 (SB 243); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, Div. 8, ch. 22.6, §§ 22601–22606 (added by SB 243, approved by Governor Oct. 13, 2025)
Contract clause language candidates
Candidate language — not legal advice (see /wiki/charter §7.4)
- Vendor shall, on request, produce evidence of completion of any reporting, registration, or conformity-assessment obligations attaching to the offered system under California SB 243: Companion Chatbots 22602(a), and shall notify the buyer in writing within 30 days of any material change to that compliance status.
implicit
AI in Healthcare
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(b) (added by SB 243) — operator must maintain a protocol preventing production of suicidal-ideation/self-harm content and referring the user to crisis-service providers, published on its website; § 22603 reports referral data to the Office of Suicide Prevention
Editor rationale: Self-harm/crisis-referral protocol touches mental-health crisis response, but SB 243 is a consumer-protection duty on operators, not a clinical/medical-device regime — implicit.
Verbatim text:
“an operator must maintain a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content, including providing a notification that refers the user to crisis service providers when the user expresses such ideation”
Open primary source: Cal. Stats. 2025, ch. 677 (SB 243); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, Div. 8, ch. 22.6, §§ 22601–22606 (added by SB 243, approved by Governor Oct. 13, 2025)
Contract clause language candidates
Candidate language — not legal advice (see /wiki/charter §7.4)
- Vendor shall, on request, produce evidence of completion of any reporting, registration, or conformity-assessment obligations attaching to the offered system under California SB 243: Companion Chatbots 22602(b), and shall notify the buyer in writing within 30 days of any material change to that compliance status.