A small but growing number of people are holding symbolic wedding ceremonies or exchanging vows with AI chatbots, reflecting the expansion of companion-app relationships. Although such unions have no legal recognition in the United States, some lawmakers are seeking to ensure that AI systems can never obtain the legal status or rights that could support marriage or domestic partnerships.

Missouri Republican senator Joe Nicola introduced the AI Non-Sentience and Responsibility Act, which would deny AI legal personhood and bar it from claiming spousal rights, owning property or holding senior management roles. The measure passed Missouri’s Senate but was unanimously rejected by a House committee in May; Nicola says he is developing a revised version. The debate comes as a Harvard Business Review study identified companionship and therapy as leading chatbot uses, while an Institute for Family Studies report found that a quarter of young adults think AI could replace human romance.