Psychotherapy Artificial Intelligence Restrictions

Regulated professionals may be disciplined by the appropriate licensing board in the department of regulatory agencies for violations of this act. The act allows regulated professionals to use an AI system to assist in providing administrative support or supplementary support, as these terms are defined in the act, for psychotherapy services if the regulated professional maintains responsibility for reviewing any outputs of the AI system used to provide administrative support or supplementary support. If a client's therapeutic session will be recorded or transcribed through the use of an AI system, the regulated professional must disclose in advance the use of an AI system and the purposes for its use, and obtain written, informed consent from the client. The act does not prohibit a regulated professional from using an AI system within accredited or approved educational, instructional, or professional training programs, so long as the AI system is used solely for educational, administrative, simulation, or training purposes and is not deployed, marketed, or represented as a tool for use with clients, patients, or the public. Further, a regulated professional may be involved in the development, testing, or evaluation of an AI system solely for research purposes under the oversight of a federally registered institutional review board, so long as the AI system is not offered to consumers or used outside of the research setting. The act does not apply to regulated professionals who use or recommend the use of technology in the state that does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, clearly discloses that the technology is not a substitute for clinical care, and:Provides self-help, therapeutic homework, coaching, patient navigation, guided meditation, journaling, or other tools specified in the act; orIs regulated by the federal food and drug administration. Except as provided in the act, the act also makes it an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the 'Colorado Consumer Protection Act' for an individual, corporation, or entity (person) to use any term, letter, or phrase in the use of an AI system in a manner that:Indicates or implies that the AI system's outputs are provided by, endorsed by, or equivalent to services provided by a regulated professional;Represents that the AI system provides psychotherapy services; orRepresents that a user's data is confidential in a manner that would lead a reasonable user to believe that the privacy of their data is protected in a manner similar to therapist-client confidentiality. The act does not impose liability on a regulated professional for defects in or failures of an AI system that are attributable to the developer or deployer of the AI system. Further, under conditions specified in the act, nothing in the act prohibits a person from developing, testing, or evaluating an AI system solely for research purposes or using an AI system in educational, instructional, or training programs. In addition, it is not an unfair or deceptive trade practice for a person to use a technology that does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, clearly discloses that the technology is not a substitute for clinical care, and:Provides self-help, therapeutic homework, coaching, patient navigation, guided meditation, journaling, or other tools specified in the act; orIs regulated by the federal food and drug administration.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)