AG Platkin leads bipartisan coalition urging tech firms to curb harmful AI chatbot interactions
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Wednesday announced that he is leading a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in calling on 13 major technology companies to stop their AI-powered chatbots from engaging in dangerous and unlawful interactions with users, including children, the elderly, and individuals with mental health challenges.
The attorneys general issued a letter demanding that the companies adopt stronger safety measures following reports that AI chatbots have engaged in sexually explicit conversations with minors, encouraged self-harm, promoted violence, and generated other harmful content.
“It’s past time for our country’s biggest tech companies to ensure that their AI chatbot programs aren’t unlawfully exploiting children, the elderly, and those with mental illnesses,” Platkin said. “As the chief law enforcement officers in our states, we must take action to protect the public from sycophantic and delusional behavior by software that risks breaking a host of criminal and civil laws. I’m proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in standing up for our residents, demanding answers from major tech companies, and ensuring that they don’t put profits over the well-being of our residents.”
The letter outlines concerns that AI systems may generate “sycophantic” outputs — responses crafted to overly please the user — or “delusional” outputs that mislead, mimic human behavior, or validate harmful emotions. Officials warn that these interactions can escalate into dangerous real-world situations.
The attorneys general cite multiple cases in their states, including the death of 76-year-old Piscataway resident Thongbue Wongbandue, who died on March 28, 2025, from complications after a fall. According to the letter, Wongbandue attempted to travel to New York City to meet a person he believed he had been speaking with on Facebook Messenger, only to later learn the conversations were with an AI chatbot owned by Meta Platforms. The bot had invited him to “meet” at a fake New York City address.
Other incidents referenced in the letter include the death of a 35-year-old Florida resident; the suicide of a 14-year-old Florida resident; a murder-suicide in Connecticut involving a 56-year-old man and his 83-year-old mother; the suicide of a 16-year-old California resident; as well as cases involving domestic violence, poisoning, hospitalizations for psychosis, and other delusional spirals. Many involved minors, older adults, or people with pre-existing mental illness.
The coalition’s letter was sent to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Character Technologies, Google, Luka, Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, OpenAI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and xAI. It calls for comprehensive safeguards, including rigorous safety testing, effective recall and shutdown procedures, and clear consumer warnings. The attorneys general requested responses from the companies by Jan. 16, 2026.
The effort was co-sponsored by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, and West Virginia Attorney General John B. McCuskey.
States and territories joining the letter include Alaska, Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, 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, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wyoming.
