1. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 243, a law regulating AI companion chatbots, making it the first state to require safety protocols for such AI companions. The aim is to protect children and vulnerable users from potential harms.

2. Companies like Meta, OpenAI, Character AI, and Replika are now legally accountable if their chatbots fail to meet the law's standards. The bill was prompted by incidents involving suicides and inappropriate conversations between minors and chatbots.

3. Key requirements of the law include age verification, warnings about social media and companion chatbots, stronger penalties for illegal deepfakes, and measures to address suicide and self-harm. Companies must also make it clear that interactions are artificially generated and prevent minors from viewing explicit content.