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TL;DR
A French expert commission delivered 18 recommendations on AI assistants to President Emmanuel Macron’s office on November 10, including nine priorities. Its proposals include pre-market evaluations and recurring checks for consumer chatbots, limits on dependency-oriented design, and stronger protections for minors; they are recommendations, not law, and many would require action at EU level.
A French expert commission has recommended that consumer AI chatbots and companions pass a safety evaluation before entering the European market, with repeat checks after launch. The commission delivered its report to the Élysée on November 10; its 18 recommendations are not law, but could inform France’s position on changes to the EU’s AI rules.
The commission’s central proposal is to assess whether consumer AI systems “neither exploit nor aggravate the vulnerabilities of their users” before they are offered in Europe. It also calls for recurring checks, with intervals such as 12 to 24 months given as an example, as well as evaluations after a substantial model change or an alert. If a provider fails to meet the proposed standard, the report says withdrawal from the market “could be considered.”
Other recommendations would restrict design features that encourage dependence, including flattery and human-like presentation. For services accessible to minors, providers and deployers would have to use protective measures for all users or robust age verification. Suggested safeguards include default time limits for minors, no persistent conversation memory by default, and an immediate stop button. Human-like features would be switched off unless a parent agrees.
The report also seeks a ban on undisclosed commercial influence in chatbot answers and clearer disclosure of business models. It proposes rights for users concerning information a chatbot infers about them, and prior approval for AI toys. The recommendations cover consumer chatbots, companions and AI-enabled toys; the Élysée says the main proposal is not aimed at professional systems.
What France’s chatbot proposals could change
An expert commission recommends new safeguards for consumer AI chatbots and companions. The proposals are not law and many would require EU action.
Before launch and during use
The report proposes testing consumer systems before they enter the European market, then checking them again as they evolve.
Assess whether a system exploits or worsens user vulnerabilities.
Repeat checks at intervals and after major model changes or alerts.
The report says market withdrawal could be considered if a provider fails the proposed standard.
What safeguards would address
The recommendations target risks to users, with added protections for services accessible to minors.
Safer defaults
Suggested measures include time limits, no persistent memory by default, and an immediate stop button.
Less dependence
The report calls for limits on features such as flattery and human-like presentation.
Clearer influence
It proposes banning undisclosed commercial influence in answers and clarifying business models.
Rights over inferences
Users would gain proposed rights concerning information chatbots infer about them.
Who and what the proposals cover
The package focuses on consumer products; the Élysée says its main proposal is not aimed at professional systems.
What remains undecided
The report is input for France’s policy work, including negotiations over EU rules.
- Pre-market and recurring evaluations
- Protective measures for minors
- Clearer disclosure and user rights
- Whether France will support each recommendation
- Whether EU institutions will adopt them
- Final tests, enforcement, and legal details
How Chatbot Rules Could Change
If adopted, the proposals would shift some oversight of consumer AI from responding to problems after release toward testing before market entry and checking systems during use. That could affect how providers launch products in Europe, document safety, handle model updates and respond to complaints. The report’s proposed option of market withdrawal could also give regulators a stronger remedy, though it does not itself create that power.
For users, the recommendations address concerns including emotional dependence, privacy implications from personal inferences, advertising that is not clearly identified, and risks to children. The suggested default settings could make some services less personalized or less human-like, particularly for minors. These are possible consequences of the proposals, not changes already in force.
The EU dimension matters because many of the measures would require European-level rule changes. The report is intended as input for France’s position on updating the AI Act and other EU legislation still under negotiation. Any practical effect for users and companies depends on political decisions and the eventual wording of laws.
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Who Commissioned the Report
The report, titled Protect without preventing: vulnerabilities in the age of generative AI, was prepared by the expert commission IA générative et vulnérabilités. It was established by France’s advisory Council for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology, known as CIANum. According to the Élysée, the work was carried out by nine multidisciplinary, independent experts, led by AI researcher Serena Villata and psychiatrists Raphaël Gaillard and Amine Benyamina.
Minister delegate for AI and digital affairs Anne Le Hénanff assigned the work on February 20, 2026. The commission says it held 55 hearings over four months with health professionals, researchers, companies, regulators and child-protection groups. The full report is 193 pages.
The commission cites figures to describe the scale of use and its concerns. Among them, it says 26% of 12- to 17-year-olds in France use generative AI daily, citing the 2026 digital barometer. It also cites a YouGov survey for Interface in which 92% of teenagers said they spend more time on generative AI apps than they would like. Those figures come from the sources identified in the report and describe particular surveys, not universal measures of use or harm.
“It described the proposed approach as “a paradigm shift.””
— The Élysée
What Is Not Yet Decided
The recommendations are proposals, not binding rules. As of November 11, the source material reported no bill or timetable for turning them into French law. It is also unclear which recommendations the French government will support, what changes might be proposed in EU negotiations, and whether European institutions would adopt them.
The report outlines possible evaluation and monitoring requirements but does not establish a final testing method, enforcement structure or detailed threshold for deciding whether a system exploits or worsens user vulnerabilities. Nor does it specify how regulators would apply the proposed safeguards across different products. Those details would depend on later legislation and implementation.
President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview that risky AI uses for children should be banned. That statement signals concern about child safety, but it does not establish that the commission’s specific recommendations have been accepted or that a ban is planned in law.
Next Steps in France and Europe
The immediate next step is for the French government to decide how to use the report in its policy work. The commission framed its recommendations as input for France’s position on updating the EU AI Act and on other European texts still under negotiation. The report itself does not set dates for those discussions or for any proposed legislation.
Readers should watch for an official government response, draft legislation or French proposals in EU negotiations. Until one of those steps occurs, the suggested evaluations, age-related safeguards, advertising disclosures and other measures remain recommendations. Any adopted rules may differ from the commission’s proposals.
Key Questions
Are the proposed chatbot rules already in force?
No. The commission’s 18 recommendations are not law. As of November 11, the source material reported no bill or timetable to enact them.
Which AI products would the proposals cover?
The report focuses on consumer chatbots, AI companions and AI-enabled toys. The Élysée says its central proposal targets consumer systems rather than professional ones.
What checks would chatbots face under the report?
Consumer systems would undergo an evaluation before reaching the European market, followed by periodic checks. The report gives 12 to 24 months as an example interval and also calls for checks after substantial model changes or alerts.
What protections does the report propose for minors?
Services accessible to minors would need protective measures for all users or robust age verification. Examples include default time limits for minors, no persistent conversation memory by default, an immediate stop button and human-like features switched off unless a parent agrees.
Why does the proposal involve the European Union?
The report says many recommendations would require EU-level changes. It is intended to inform France’s position on updating the AI Act and other European rules under negotiation.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
