California bill would ban AI therapists as states weigh regulating mental health chatbots
California's SB 903 bill would bar companies from marketing chatbots as therapy and restrict AI systems from carrying out therapeutic activity. Analyses debate whether states should regulate AI mental health chatbots (10 August).
Who is affected and how
- doctor
- Psychiatric and therapy providers need to watch which AI functions will be allowed to count as therapy.
- health IT
- The marketing and features of mental health chatbots must be aligned with the legal limits.
- health policy
- State regulation may fill a gap left by the absence of federal rules.
Sources
- California wants to ban AI therapists as thousands turn to chatbots for mental healthcareindependent.co.uk · Aug 10, 2026
- California wants to ban AI therapists as thousands turn to chatbots for mental healthcare | The Independentthe-independent.com · Aug 10, 2026
- Should States Regulate AI Mental Health Chatbots? | Healthtech Curatedhealthtechcurated.com · Aug 10, 2026
- States Move to Regulate AI in Mental Health Care as Vermont and California Push for Stronger Safeguardsthevbpblog.com · Aug 11, 2026
- California wants human oversight for AI-based mental health carewionews.com · Aug 11, 2026
- How Are Therapists and Coaches Shaping AI in Mental Health Care?unmind.com · Aug 12, 2026
Machine-generated summary based on the titles and excerpts of the source articles. The source article is the authority for the facts. News monitoring, not medical advice: consult a doctor for health decisions.