‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws

What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, ‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws, Labor government under pressure to create social media watchdog as new online safety standards bill passes lower house Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government wants to ban AI chatbots which seek to create “emotional intimacy” after prime minister Anthony Albanese raised the alarm in a heartfelt speech about children treating these agents as their “best friend”. But Labor is coming under increasing pressure to empower the telecommunications ombudsman to become a watchdog for social media and AI to give Australians an external complaints mechanism and allow the “naming and shaming” of big tech. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading…

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-10-28T05:31:55+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

Source

Primary source: ‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.