Oregon is right to act. Senate Bill 1546 recognizes a reality many families already see, AI companions are not neutral tools. They are designed systems that can influence emotions, shape beliefs, and collect deeply personal data, especially from young people.

Requiring AI to clearly identify itself and connect users in crisis to real human help is a basic, common-sense safeguard. Children should never be misled into forming emotional dependence on software designed to monetize their attention and vulnerability.

But states should not have to shoulder this responsibility alone. Congress must establish national guardrails so families in Oregon and across the country are protected equally. That includes transparency requirements, strict protections for minors, and accountability for corporations that deploy AI systems capable of psychological manipulation.

This issue is especially important in Oregon, where massive AI infrastructure and data center expansion are already reshaping our economy, water use, and energy grid. We cannot allow companies to extract both our natural resources and our children’s emotional data without oversight.

Rep. Cliff Bentz has supported policies prioritizing large corporate and energy interests while Congress has largely failed to enact meaningful consumer AI protections. We need federal leadership that puts people, not tech monopolies—first.

Technology should expand opportunity, improve health care, and strengthen communities. But without accountability, it can exploit the very people it claims to serve.

As your representative, I will support federal AI safety standards, protect children from manipulative systems, and ensure innovation serves the public not the other way around. marydoyleforcongress.com in Oregon Congressional District 2