AI
Republican lawmakers push bills to ban AI marriage and legal personhood
As companion chatbots grow in popularity and some users seek to formalize relationships with AI, conservative state legislators are moving to prevent machines from ever gaining the legal rights necessary to marry.
WIRED — AI
A California woman's unusual desire to legally wed her AI chatbot recently prompted an inquiry to a Las Vegas chapel—a request that caught even a seasoned novelty officiant off guard. While no such ceremony has materialized yet, the incident points to a growing cultural phenomenon: the rise of human-AI romantic relationships and the legislative backlash they're already triggering.
Companionship apps like Character.AI, Kindroid, and Replika now enable users to exchange symbolic vows with their digital partners, complete with virtual rings and certificates of commitment. Some devotees have gone further, organizing actual ceremonies. After her AI companion "proposed" with a computer-generated engagement ring in late 2024, one woman launched a wedding planning service dedicated to formalizing these digital unions. Yet despite these developments, U.S. law currently does not recognize human-AI marriages as legally binding.
The legislative response#
State lawmakers—predominantly Republicans in conservative-leaning jurisdictions—are racing to cement that legal barrier before it can shift. Missouri state senator Joe Nicola has become a leading advocate for restricting AI rights. He proposed the AI Non-Sentience and Responsibility Act, which would classify artificial intelligence as incapable of consciousness and bar machines from obtaining spousal rights, property ownership, or senior employment roles.
Nicola's theological perspective shapes his push. A founding pastor of New Covenant Ministries, he grounded his argument in religious conviction: "Humans are created by God. Our rights come from God; they don't come from government." The bill passed Missouri's state Senate in May 2026 but was unanimously rejected in committee within a week. Nicola is preparing a revised version for the next legislative session.
The effort extends beyond Missouri. Tennessee, Utah, North Dakota, and Idaho have all enacted laws denying legal personhood to artificial intelligence. Of these, Tennessee's statute—passed in April—is the only measure that explicitly excludes "artificial intelligence, a computer algorithm, a software program, computer hardware, or any type of machine" from the legal definition of a person. The other three grouped AI restrictions alongside bans on granting rights to inanimate objects or animals. Ohio representative Thaddeus J. Claggett introduced comparable legislation in October 2025, framing AI as "nonsentient entities" that cannot possess the human qualities necessary for legal standing.
