Fort Mitchell Republican Representative Kim Banta said the impetus behind her bill was a 2025 incident that raised alarms across the country.
"What got my attention was the boy in Ohio who committed suicide because AI convinced him that he was depressed and he may as well go through with it," she explained.
According to CBS News, OpenAI has since pledged to institute new guardrails for teens, including promises to attempt to contact users' parents if a minor is having suicidal ideation and, if unable to reach them, contact authorities.
Banta said the incident her to push for House Bill 455, which would restrict the use of AI by certain licensed mental health professionals.
"This is so that someone that is in a therapeutic session, a psychologist, psychiatrist, whatever, cannot turn on AI, charge $500 for it, and then review it and act like he was part of that," Banta said. "I just want a human to interact with other humans when we are dealing with mental illness."
One revision to the bill would exempt something like a standard Google search by a therapist. The bill also allows offices to use AI for clerical tasks, such as scheduling appointments.
If passed, Kentucky would not be the first state to do so. Ohio, Illinois, and others have acted to limit the use of AI in mental health environments.
The bill is now eligible for a vote in the House.