What happened
In an exclusive interview published by the Guardian on August 17, 2026, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said his office is drafting two new bills with state lawmakers to create a broader consumer-protection framework covering AI and chatbots (building on the state's $942m verdict/settlement against Meta), and confirmed he is preparing to file a separate lawsuit against an AI company over a chatbot that has become a source of emotional attachment for children. Both the bills and the lawsuit are described as forthcoming (bills expected to be announced 'in the coming weeks'; the lawsuit 'in the relatively near future') rather than filed/enacted as of the article's publication.
Why it matters
Signals a state AG actively expanding an enforcement and legislative program from social media into generative-AI/chatbot products, following a landmark precedent-setting verdict against Meta. If filed, the chatbot suit and legislation would extend consequential-decision/child-safety liability theories to AI companion/chatbot providers and could become a template other state AGs replicate, similar to how NM's Meta litigation strategy has been referenced nationally.
Action needed
AI companion/chatbot providers serving minors in New Mexico (and nationally, given replication risk) should review child-safety design features, disclosure practices, and human-oversight/escalation mechanisms; monitor for the specific bill text and lawsuit filing in the coming weeks.