Ohio Bill Aims to Ban A.I. “Marriages”

Ohio congressman Thaddeus Claggett recently introduced House Bill 469. If it becomes law, this bill will stop people from “marrying” chatbots—artificially intelligent programs designed to imitate human conversation. It will also prohibit A.I. programs from being recognized as legal persons and from being allowed to serve in roles normally reserved for spouses, such as making medical choices for human beings or sharing financial responsibility with them. This bill comes at a time when many are forming emotional “bonds” with chatbots. Research organization Barna found in October 2024 that 38 percent of surveyed adults “feel a sense of connection” when interacting with A.I. assistants—and, according to Forbes, one survey found that “80% of Gen Zers say they would marry” an A.I. chatbot (April 29, 2025). Some people using apps like Replika and Character.ai even claim they have married their A.I. companions (The Guardian, July 12, 2025).

The perceived need for such a bill shows how far modern society has drifted from God’s plan for family. The Bible teaches that marriage is a God-ordained covenant between one man and one woman, picturing the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22–32)—and the Bible gives very few valid reasons for breaking a marriage. When people form romantic “relationships” with apps, it reveals a world that has lost sight of God and His purpose. God designed the human family as the foundational unit of civilization and the earliest environment in which we learn to develop His own character through how we interact with our family members (e.g., 1 Timothy 5:1–2). Biblical values such as God’s design of the family are under siege and crumbling in Western civilization, and end-time prophecies indicate that we will continue to see them not only attacked but replaced by the evil and absurd (2 Timothy 3:1–5). Those who hold fast to God’s truths on such matters may have the opportunity to teach these principles when Jesus Christ returns to restore all things. You can learn more by reading or listening to God’s Plan for Happy Marriage.