Do AI chatbots sell user data? These Pa. lawmakers say state needs privacy protections

Pennsylvanians should be able to use artificial intelligence chatbots for research, entertainment and advice without worrying that companies will mine their conversations for consumer data, two state lawmakers contend.

So these officials, Reps. Melissa Shusterman, a Chester County Democrat, and Michael Schlossberg, a Democrat from Lehigh County, are rolling out a proposal to prohibit chatbot platforms from selling or sharing user information and from covert product promotion.

“As more and more Pennsylvanians use these chatbots to ask questions, share thoughts and ideas, or just participate in a simple conversation, they need to know that the information they are sharing with the AI bot is safe,” the two Democrats wrote in a memo released Oct. 9.

What would the bill do?

The lawmakers say their legislation, which hasn’t yet been made public, would forbid AI chatbot companies from sharing user information with a third party. The measure would also require chatbots to make a clear disclosure when they’re advertising a product to users or refrain from promotions altogether.

Some of the most popular chatbot platforms, including ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, say they do not sell user data for marketing. However, the AI conversations are used to train these language learning models.

There are girlfriend chatbots and others that do harvest and sell information.

Why is it important?

Pennsylvania is striving to become a hub for the burgeoning AI industry and a pioneer for embracing it in the workplace. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has experimented with using AI tools to increase government efficiency and established an artificial intelligence governing board to guide these efforts.Amazon in June announced that it would invest $20 billion in the Keystone State to build data centers supporting its AI expansion.

Shusterman and Schlossberg argue that, as part of Pennsylvania’s embrace of this cutting-edge technology, state lawmakers must also lead the way on consumer protections.