Published : 11 Aug 2026, 07:51 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:32 AM
California lawmakers are pushing to stop AI from being used as a full-on therapist, as interest in chatbot-based mental healthcare has skyrocketed in recent years, The Independent reports.
Under Senate Bill 903, companies would be banned from advertising chatbots as therapy, and AI systems would not be allowed to make therapeutic decisions without review from a licensed professional, the British newspaper said.
The bill would also require patients' permission for health providers to use AI to record therapy sessions or triage care, it added.
State Senator Steve Padilla of San Diego, who authored the legislation, said earlier this year when introducing the measure: "AI has many upsides, and the possibility to improve the lives of Californians across the state, but only if we ensure it is used responsibly.
"AI algorithms are not fit to take over the job of human therapists, who have skills and training that AI is incapable of replicating. We must act and place guardrails that prevent AI algorithms from being deployed in a way that is potentially harmful to patients."
Critics of the bill say it could restrict legitimate uses of AI and make it harder for healthcare providers to use such tools to direct patients towards treatment.
Robert Boykin, California executive director of industry group TechNet, told CalMatters that the bill could create a clinician bottleneck for intake and screening tools at a time when every county in California faces a shortage of behavioural healthcare workers.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which supports the bill, has complained to California regulators that Kaiser Permanente used an automated “e-visit” system without clinician oversight to make care recommendations and conduct initial evaluations of patients who may have anxiety or depression.
Kaiser Permanente said it does not use AI to diagnose patients, make clinical decisions or determine medical necessity, and accused the union of misrepresenting its process, according to the report.
Research cited by The Independent points to growing interest in AI-based therapy, although health experts say the field needs more study and regulation.
A 2025 study by RAND, the Brown University School of Public Health and Harvard University found about one in eight adolescents and young adults use chatbots for mental health support.
Jonathan Cantor, a senior policy researcher at RAND, told Brown University’s website that there are few standard benchmarks for assessing AI mental health advice and limited transparency around the data used to train large language models.
A study by the American Psychological Association this year found 77 percent of psychologists had spoken with patients who had used AI for support or engagement.
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, disclosed in October that an estimated 1.2 million messages a week sent to the chatbot contained explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent, the report says.
Health experts say growing use of AI for emotional support is linked to difficulties accessing in-person mental healthcare.
Hamilton Morrin, a clinical fellow in neuropsychiatry at King’s College London, told Harvard Business Review that long waiting lists and limited access to therapy could be driving more people towards generative AI.
The makers of popular AI applications have also faced lawsuits alleging chatbot interactions played a role in youth suicides, as per The Independent.
