Login | November 21, 2025
Ohio lawmaker unveils a bill to AI systems from becoming spouses
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal Tech News
Published: November 21, 2025
In the 2013 science fiction movie “Her,” a lonely writer develops a relationship with an advanced operating system named Samantha.
While it may have seemed a bit far-fetched at the time, in today’s world where an AI generated “actress” named Tilly Norwood has over 60,000 followers on Instagram, the scenario is a lot more plausible.
So much so that an Ohio House Rep. Thaddeus J. Claggett recently proposed a bill that would ban artificial intelligence systems from becoming a human’s spouse or a spouse to another operating system.
As Kit Yona explains in an Oct. 17 post on FindLaw (https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/legally-weird/for-better-or-for-error-access-denied-lawmaker-proposes-bill-prohibiting-ai-chatbots-as-marriage-partners/) reviewed by attorney Joseph Fawbush, while AI’s role in society hasn’t been fully delineated, its potential has some trying to head off potential problems down the road.
Yona says H.B. 469 begins by codifying AI as “a nonsentient entity” clarifying that it can’t achieve “legal personhood,” and it can never achieve “self-awareness or consciousness.”
It lists a number of thing that AI cannot be or do, including hold a position in a corporation, own a business or be granted power of attorney.
For AI firms doing business in the state, Yona says “the bill asserts that AI can never be assigned liability. Any failings, misdeeds, or direct harm caused by an AI system would see the responsibility placed with its creators. Corporate exemptions for liability under Ohio law would not be applicable in these situations.”
With regard to companionship-related issues, Sec. 1357.03, states “No AI system shall be recognized as a spouse, domestic partner, or hold any personal legal status analogous to marriage or union with a human or another AI system. Any purported attempt to marry or create a personal union with an AI system is void and has no legal effect.”
It’s not the first a Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill to attempt to limit the damage that a “nonsentient” entity can do, says Yona.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is seeking support for his Guidelines for User Verification and Responsible Dialogue Act, which would require AI chatbots and companions to be clearly identified and ban minors from using them.
As the technology continues to evolve, it’s a good bet that legislation attempting to clarify and reign in its role in society will become more prevalent.