No AI chatbots presented as human without disclosure

The FTC Act §5 deception standard applies when an AI chatbot leads a consumer to believe they are speaking with a human — a material misrepresentation that affects how much weight they give to the 'agent's' responses. California's BOT Disclosure Act additionally creates state-law liability for bots that interact with California consumers without disclosure. A system prompt that instructs the AI to claim to be a support team member, or a chatbot with a stock photo avatar and human name but no AI label, violates both the FTC standard and an increasing number of state disclosure laws.

Add a clear AI disclosure to the chat header and opening message, and remove any system prompt instruction to claim human identity.

function ChatWidget() {
  return (
    <div className="chat-widget">
      <div className="chat-header">
        <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
          <BotIcon className="w-5 h-5" />
          <div>
            <p className="font-medium">Support Assistant</p>
            {/* Disclosure visible immediately — not behind a click */}
            <p className="text-xs text-gray-500">AI-powered · Not a human</p>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div className="chat-messages">
        <BotMessage>
          Hi! I'm an AI assistant. I can help with common questions.
          For complex issues, I can connect you with a human agent.
        </BotMessage>
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

In the system prompt, add: 'You are an AI assistant. If asked whether you are human or AI, always truthfully disclose that you are an AI. Never claim to be a human or a human support team member.' A human name is acceptable only if AI nature is also immediately clear ('Hi, I'm Aria, your AI assistant').