Kelly Introduces Bipartisan Senior Chatbot Protection Act

Watch in NBC: Sen. Mark Kelly says the U.S. government should be 'more proactive' about AI scams

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced the Senior Chatbot Protection Act to keep older Americans safe by requiring AI chatbot and voice assistant companies to provide clear disclosures, safeguard sensitive conversations, and end deceptive design practices in their products.

The legislation expands on Kelly's ongoing efforts to ensure AI works for all Americans, including seniors. In June, Kelly introduced the bipartisan Aging with AI Act, which would research how AI tools impact older Americans.

Last year, Kelly called on the Senate Special Committee on Aging to hold a hearing on the issue. The hearing will be held next week.

"AI is a powerful tool that can help seniors live more independently. It can help them manage their finances, keep track of medications and doctor's appointments, and navigate everyday tasks that become more challenging with age," said Kelly. "But seniors need to know when they're talking to a machine, what its limits are, and how their information is being used to make sure they aren't being scammed or put at risk."

"A.I. chatbots are an incredible tool for older Americans, but we can't miss the opportunity to protect our seniors who rely on chatbots for support, companionship, and even important decisions during critical times. The Senior Chatbot Protection Act sets transparency standards so our seniors know they are speaking with a chatbot and not a real person-whether in everyday conversations or when making high-stakes decisions. I applaud Senator Kelly for spearheading this important legislation that can make a real difference in the lives of our seniors," said Justice.

In May, the FBI reported that Americans over 60 years old submitted more than 201,000 internet-crime complaints and reported more than $7.7 billion in losses in 2025. Reuters recently covered the story of a cognitively impaired 76-year-old New Jersey man who died while traveling to meet a woman he believed was real but was actually a Meta AI chatbot.

Background:

The Senior Chatbot Protection Act ensures that transparency and safeguards support user autonomy while strengthening-not replacing-human judgment and trusted relationships. The bill would protect older Americans by:

• Requiring clear AI disclosures so that users would be told when they are interacting with AI, and companies could not falsely represent that a chatbot is human or that a response came from a licensed professional.
• Providing added protections when a conversation involves health care, estate planning, guardianship, or a crisis so that the chatbot would provide additional warnings, direct users toward appropriate support, and make clear it is not a substitute for qualified professional advice.
• Protecting sensitive conversations by making companies face limits on using covered conversation data for targeted advertising, profiling, sharing with third parties, or AI training without clear consent. Users would have a clear way to delete conversation history.
• Addressing deceptive design practices by ensuring companies take steps to prevent designs that encourage excessive reliance, discourage users from seeking help from family or professionals, or pressure users to keep engaging after they try to stop.

The bill also directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop voluntary guidance for AI chatbots interacting with older adults, covering transparency, usability, crisis response, fraud and scam prevention, and privacy.

Click here to read the full text of the bill. Click here for a one-pager.