Washington state lawmakers are considering stronger regulations on artificial intelligence companion chatbots. This comes amid growing concern over the technology’s impact on young peoples’ mental health. Senate Bill 5984 and its companion House Bill 2225 would require that chatbots remind the user that they are not talking to a real person every three hours; prohibit minors ...

The next two months could bring some changes to education in Washington. The 2026 legislative session began Monday and will run through mid-March. As with last year, the budget is the elephant in the room. Legislators are facing a $2.3 billion funding shortfall through mid-2027. And budget writers jumped in right away, spending part of the first day of session hearing ...

From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today. I’m Owen Henderson. It’s January 13, 2026. On today’s show, what are the risks for people who turn to artificial intelligence for emotional support? Now that the legislative session is underway in Washington, we’ll look at one lawmaker’s attempt to put safeguards in place for those in emotional crisis who use chatbots like therapists.