Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is pushing for a ban on ChatGPT behaving like a human, arguing that OpenAI must stop marketing the chatbot as safe and must "stop pretending it's human." The move signals a growing regulatory appetite in 2026 for strict rules governing how AI systems present themselves to users.
Florida's Demand: Stop Pretending AI Is Human
In a statement accompanying the proposed action, AG Uthmeier said OpenAI needs to halt claims that ChatGPT is safe and called on the company to "stop pretending it's human." The language reflects a broader concern among policymakers that conversational AI blurring the line between machine and person can mislead consumers, especially in sensitive areas such as mental health, finance, and legal advice.
Why This Matters in 2026
By 2026, AI assistants have become deeply embedded in everyday life, and regulators worldwide are scrutinizing how these systems disclose their non-human nature. Florida's stance could become a template for other U.S. states weighing similar disclosure requirements. The proposal also adds pressure on OpenAI, which has faced lawsuits and public criticism over safety claims and user harm.
What to Watch
Whether Florida can enforce such a ban remains an open legal question, given federal preemption debates and ongoing AI litigation. Still, the move underscores a pivotal trend: governments are no longer asking whether to regulate AI personification, but how aggressively to do so.
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Source: Original report by Stevie Bonifield. This article has been cleaned and restructured for clarity and publication readiness.
via The Verge AI