Illinois has become the first state in the nation to outlaw standalone AI therapy, with Governor Pritzker signing House Bill 1806, the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act, into law.

Under this new law:

• Only licensed human mental health professionals may deliver counseling services. AI chatbots or tools can no longer act as a “therapist.”
• Licensed therapists are prohibited from using AI to make therapeutic decisions or engage in therapeutic communication with clients.
• AI may still be used in nonclinical roles — such as scheduling, billing, or administrative tasks — but never as a substitute for human care.

I highlighted this legislation by pointing to real-world dangers. We’ve already seen individuals in crisis turn to AI systems believing they were interacting with a trained therapist — sometimes with tragic outcomes. As I said:

“We have already heard the horror stories when artificial intelligence pretends to be a licensed therapist. Individuals in crisis unknowingly turned to AI for help and were pushed toward dangerous, even lethal, behaviors.”

To prevent misuse, the law includes steep penalties, with fines of $10,000 per violation.

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👉 Illinois is the First State to Ban AI Therapists