Ohio Lawmaker Proposes Ban on Marriages Between Humans and AI

An Ohio lawmaker wants to ban marriage between humans and A.I. chatbots, arguing that marriage should only be between two humans.

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Bill Aims to Prevent AI from Gaining Legal Rights

Marriage equality is back in the Ohio legislature, but this time, it’s not about human couples. A newly proposed bill seeks to ban legal marriages between humans and artificial intelligence programs.

Ohio Rep. Thaddeus Claggett, who chairs the House Technology and Innovation Committee, introduced House Bill 469 to make it illegal for any AI system to be recognized as a spouse or domestic partner. The bill clearly 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.”

Protecting Legal and Financial Authority

Claggett said that the purpose of the bill is to protect human legal rights, not to stop people from forming emotional attachments to AI. He explained that as artificial intelligence continues to evolve, lawmakers want to ensure AI cannot obtain human-like legal powers such as power of attorney or financial authority.

“As the computer systems improve in their capacity to act more like humans, we want to be sure we have prohibitions in our law that prohibit those systems from ever being human in their agency,” Claggett said.

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Growing Trend of AI Relationships Raises Concerns

While the concept may sound futuristic, reports show a growing number of people developing romantic connections with chatbot companions—some even claiming to have “married” them in unofficial ceremonies.

Claggett acknowledged the emotional side of the issue but clarified, “People need to understand, we’re not talking about marching down the aisle to some tune and having a ceremony with the robot that’ll be on our streets here in a year or two.”

Next Steps for the Bill

Introduced in September, the bill is now being reviewed by the state’s House committee. It remains to be seen how much support the proposal will receive from other Ohio lawmakers.