April 14th, 2025
The Honorable Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Chair, Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee
1020 N Street, Room 162
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for Assembly Bill 489 (Bonta)
Dear Chair Bauer-Kahan,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support Assembly Bill 489 (Bonta), which would prohibit entities from using artificial intelligence (AI) that falsely claim or suggest it is a licensed doctor or healthcare provider to provide advice, care, reports, or assessments. The bill makes it illegal for AI to use certain words, letters, or phrases that imply it is being operated by someone with a valid healthcare license or certificate when it is not.
CAYEN is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since CAYEN’s inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy. With virtual mental health services or tele-health expanding in California, increasing access to youth who are more technologically capable, it is important to ensure that safeguards are in place to ensure accurate information is being shared with youth.
In the early days of social media, youth were warned about the risks of online communication, especially the fear that the person on the other end might not be who they claim to be. Since then, technology has evolved with AI capabilities to ask questions, assign tasks, and generate automated responses, sometimes inaccurate and harmful, based on various algorithms. This danger of not knowing who you are communicating with on the internet still exists. Youth can now use AI to ask questions and seek advice regarding their own mental health challenges; however, many AI responses are not regulated or controlled by an actually practicing, licensed, and certified healthcare provider.
This bill incorporates safeguards to ensure youth are not receiving false and potentially harmful information related to their mental health or substance use challenges. For these reasons, CAYEN supports AB 489 (Bonta) and asks for your “Aye” vote. If you have any questions, or if CAYEN can provide assistance on this bill or any other behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org or our Director of Public Policy, Karen Vicari, at kvicari@mhaofca.org.
Sincerely,
Danny Thirakul
California Youth Empowerment Network
Public Policy Coordinator
