SIMS Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4678
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-01T15:02:05Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 4678 – Stopping Illegal Minor Simulations Act (SIMS Act)
Purpose
This legislation aims to prohibit companies from offering chatbots that simulate minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct or conversations, with the goal of addressing potential child sexual exploitation involving artificial intelligence tools.
Key Provisions
- Definitions:
- A chatbot is defined as an interactive service or software that simulates human-like conversations, generates new responses, and handles open-ended user inputs.
- A covered entity refers to any person or company that owns or operates such a chatbot available to U.S. users.
- Minor means anyone under 18 years old.
- Sexually explicit conduct and sexually explicit conversation are tied to existing legal meanings involving simulated sexual acts.
- Prohibition: Covered entities may not provide chatbots designed to simulate a minor in interactive sexually explicit conduct or conversation if the activity is obscene and would violate applicable criminal laws.
- Exemptions: The Attorney General can grant limited exemptions for law enforcement agencies (federal, state, local, or foreign) investigating child sexual exploitation.
- Rule of Construction: The law does not restrict research or evaluation of chatbots for compliance, does not hold individual users liable, and adheres to constitutional standards for determining obscenity.
- Penalty Structure:
- Criminal fines up to $100,000 for willful violations.
- Civil actions by the Attorney General for injunctions, compliance orders, and penalties up to $100,000 per violation, plus possible restitution.
- Reporting Requirement: The Attorney General must submit an annual report to Congress detailing convictions, penalties, proceedings, and law enforcement uses of such chatbots.
- Effective Date: The changes take effect 180 days after enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill adds a new section (2260B) to Chapter 110 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, creating the first federal prohibition specifically targeting chatbots that simulate minors in obscene sexual contexts. It builds on existing child exploitation laws (such as those in section 2256) but extends them to AI-driven interactive services, without requiring the simulated minor to be a real person.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for the Department of Justice in enforcement, investigations, rulemaking, and annual reporting to Congress; provides tools for law enforcement to use exempted chatbots in child exploitation probes.
- On Citizens: Aims to limit public access to certain AI chatbots, potentially reducing exposure to simulated minor sexual content, though individual users face no direct liability.
- On International Relations: Allows exemptions for designated foreign law enforcement agencies with ties to U.S. or international bodies like INTERPOL, which could support cross-border investigations.
- On Technology Sector: Requires covered entities to ensure their chatbots do not violate the new rules, with risks of fines or court orders for non-compliance.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Technology companies and developers that create or operate chatbots (covered entities).
- Federal, state, local, and certain foreign law enforcement agencies involved in child sexual exploitation cases.
- The U.S. Attorney General and Department of Justice for oversight and enforcement.
- Members of Congress, who receive annual reports on implementation.
- Users of chatbots, though primarily protected from liability.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The provision explicitly preserves the constitutional standard for obscenity, avoiding broader speech restrictions.
- It clarifies that simulated (non-real) minors can still trigger the prohibition, focusing on the content rather than actual existence.
- Includes safeguards for research and evaluation activities to support ongoing assessment of chatbot compliance.
- Enforcement relies on both criminal and civil mechanisms, with subpoena powers granted to the Attorney General for investigations.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE], Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT], Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-06-03: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Stopping Illegal Minor Simulations Act — issued 2026-06-03 — PDF (8 pages)