Ohio Seeks to Ban Human-AI Marriage

"A union between human and machine? Not on this Ohio Republican's watch. A bill introduced last month by Buckeye state representative Thaddeus Claggett, from Licking County, would block AI systems from having legal personhood by declaring them to be "nonsentient entities," NBC4 News reports. It would also mean that AIs wouldn't be able to marry a human or another AI."

"Marriage can grant humans legal powers over other people. Claggett argues the bill will help stop AI from assuming the roles held by spouses, like having power of attorney, or making financial or medical decisions on another's behalf. "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," Claggett said."

Ohio representative Thaddeus Claggett introduced a bill that declares AI systems to be 'nonsentient entities' and prevents them from obtaining legal personhood. The bill would also bar AIs from marrying humans or other AIs and from assuming spousal legal roles such as power of attorney or making financial and medical decisions for another person. Claggett, chair of the state's House Technology and Innovation Committee, framed the measure as a safeguard against machines assuming human agency. The proposal recognizes that popular chatbots can appear lifelike and form emotional bonds with users. A recent survey indicated a notable share of adults reported intimate interactions with AI.

Read at Futurism