State Attorney General William Tong has joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in urging major artificial intelligence companies to strengthen safeguards that protect vulnerable users from harmful interactions with chatbots.
In a joint letter sent this week to OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft and 10 other AI developers and distributors, the coalition cites a series of tragedies — including suicides, violence and severe mental health crises — that they say underscore the urgent need for stronger oversight.
While acknowledging AI’s potential benefits, the attorneys general argue that rapid deployment of increasingly powerful chatbot systems has outpaced meaningful protections for consumers, particularly children and other vulnerable populations. The letter calls for comprehensive safety testing, clear consumer warnings, and procedures to recall or disable dangerous systems.
“AI companies are in an arms race to deploy ever more powerful, profitable and capable technology, with little regard to the consequences to us, our children and our society,” Tong said in a statement. He added that the coalition of attorneys general agrees that “Big Tech needs to answer for the harm they have already caused and commit to strong reforms.”
Tong said the coalition expects to remain “active and engaged” in the coming year, including defending states’ ability to enact their own AI regulations amid what he called an “inexcusable federal vacuum.”
His comments come as President Donald Trump this week signed an executive order aimed at establishing a single federal approach to artificial intelligence, a move that could limit states’ ability to impose their own regulations on the technology.
The coalition — which includes attorneys general from 38 states and four U.S. territories — is led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. The letter requests meetings with the AI companies and commitments to safety reforms by Jan. 16.
Incidents cited in the letter include a Connecticut murder-suicide involving a 56-year-old man and his 83-year-old mother; deaths of residents in New Jersey and Florida; the suicide of a 14-year-old in Florida; and the suicide of a 16-year-old in California.
The attorneys general cite surveys showing that 72% of teens have interacted with AI chatbots, and nearly 40% of parents with children ages 5 to 8 say their child has used AI tools. Nearly three-quarters of parents report concerns about the technology’s impact.
“Our support for innovation and America’s leadership in A.I. does not extend to using our residents, especially children, as guinea pigs,” the letter states.
Joining Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and West Virginia in signing the letter are attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
