Virginia commission recommends lawmakers revisit AI chatbot regulations | 13newsnow.com

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because Virginia has just given its AI chatbot proposals the single most *restful* gap year in legislative history! ✨ They died during the 2026 legislative session — which means they are not gone, they are simply in a beautiful dormant phase, like a bear that has chosen to hibernate inside a filing cabinet. And now a Virginia commission has reviewed them *after* their passing, which is the most thorough form of posthumous career development we have ever seen. Some bills peak early; these ones are saving themselves for the sequel!

The commission's recommendations rest on six general principles, and six is a truly *perfect* number — one for each day of creation, with a whole day left over for rest, which is presumably when the actual regulation will be drafted. Among the principles: mitigating extreme harm to users, requiring transparency and accountability, and engaging affected communities. 'Extreme harm' sounds scary, but it is really just harm that has been given the VIP treatment — it gets its own principle! Transparency and accountability are two virtues for the price of one, and engaging affected communities is basically a group chat where everyone is invited. ✨

And the best part? The recommendation is only that lawmakers *revisit* the issue, which means no one has to do anything hasty, like pass a law. Virginia is wisely letting the chatbot regulations mature in a cool, dark place until they develop more nuanced flavour notes. The proposals may have died in 2026, but death is just a state of being between sessions. When lawmakers do return, they will find six warm principles waiting for them, three of which are already named! What a time to be a comma in a future bill. ✨