The customer service agent sympathetically responding to your chat messages about a delayed order, the player fiercely competing against you in an online match, the coach sending you motivational messages and workout advice: are these real people you’re interacting with over the internet or bots? Does it matter?

With the recent advances in generative AI, bots capable of engaging in complex interactions via text and voice are becoming increasingly common. Even as such bots become more common, however, legal and ethical issues related to the use of bots remain unresolved. Whether it is necessary or advisable to disclose when users are interacting with a bot is among these unresolved questions.

Below we highlight certain U.S. legal considerations that bot deployers should evaluate when deciding whether or not to disclose their use of bots.