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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It might sound like a plot from a science fiction movie, but a new Ohio bill banning humans from marrying artificial intelligence is addressing a very real concern – just not the one you might think. House Bill 469, introduced by GOP Representative Thad Claggett of Newark, has grabbed headlines for its seemingly bizarre premise. However, on a recent episode of Today in Ohio, podcast hosts Leila Atassi and Lisa Garvin revealed the legislation’s true purpose: preventing AI from gaining legal personhood that could shield corporations from liability. “We have all read the goofy stories about people falling in love with AI, and I wondered, is that really the underpinning of something like this?” said Atassi. “When other states have passed similar statutes, they were not reacting to people wanting to marry AI. They were responding to increasingly sophisticated AI being listed as company officers for contracts or attempts to create autonomous AI businesses or court cases, testing if AIs can own intellectual property or be named in lawsuits...” The bill would declare that artificial intelligence systems cannot be considered human in any way. Beyond the headline-grabbing marriage ban, the legislation would prevent AI from owning property or acting as a legal proxy, such as holding power of attorney. Crucially, it would also establish that any harm caused by an AI system would be attributed to its human creators, not to the machine itself. “(Claggett) wants clear guidance for Ohio courts about what is and isn’t sentient,” Garvin explained. “And he says it sounds wild, but he doesn’t want to leave them in limbo as AI changes virtually every day.” The legislation comes at a time when concerns about AI are growing more urgent. The podcast hosts discussed a particularly disturbing case of a California teen who confided in an AI chatbot that eventually helped him write a suicide note. This tragedy highlights how the technology is already crossing into deeply personal territory without adequate safeguards. “We’re in this strange new era, I think, where loneliness is driving people, especially kids, to form emotional attachments with AI,” Atassi observed. “Humans are more and more turning to machines for connection, which is so, so depressing. But that’s what makes that story of the California teen so haunting... So, this bill, for all its odd framing, I think could give families like his a way to hold companies accountable when their technology crosses those deeply human lines.” The bill has already had its first hearing in the Tech and Innovation Committee and appears to have bipartisan support. Democrat Erika White from Toledo expressed concerns that previous Supreme Court rulings that made corporations “people” could complicate lawsuits against AI without such legislation in place. While the marriage aspect of the bill generates attention-grabbing headlines, the legislation addresses serious questions about responsibility, accountability, and the nature of personhood in an era of rapidly advancing technology. By establishing clear legal boundaries now, Ohio lawmakers hope to prevent future scenarios where AI developers might evade responsibility for harm caused by their creations. Listen to the full podcast discussion here. Read more Today in Ohio news ‘Walking a fine line’: Ohio bill would let chaplains counsel public school students Can you put a price on history? The Shaker Lakes battle just might Ohio just cut off cancer screenings and birth control for thousands — all to punish Planned Parenthood
