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TL;DR
A French expert commission delivered 18 recommendations on AI assistants to the Élysée on November 10, including pre-market evaluations and recurring checks for consumer chatbots and AI companions. The proposals 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 an evaluation for risks to users before being offered in Europe, with further checks after launch. The commission delivered its report, titled Protect without preventing: vulnerabilities in the age of generative AI, to the Élysée on November 10; its 18 proposals are recommendations, not current law.
The report says evaluations should establish that systems neither exploit nor aggravate users’ vulnerabilities. It proposes repeat assessments at regular intervals—giving 12 to 24 months as an example—after substantial model changes, and when an alert is raised. If a provider fails an evaluation, the report says withdrawal from the market “could be considered.” These are proposed measures, not enforcement powers currently in effect.
Other recommendations target product design and business practices. The commission calls for restrictions on techniques such as flattery and human-like presentation when used to foster dependence or engagement, stronger protections for minors, and a ban on undisclosed commercial influence in chatbot answers. It also proposes user rights concerning what assistants infer about them and prior approval for AI toys. The supplied account does not detail the full wording or implementation of every recommendation.
The commission’s remit covers consumer-facing systems, including chatbots, AI companions and toys with built-in AI. The Élysée said the central proposal is directed at consumer systems, “and not professional” ones. The report presents the recommendations as input to France’s position on updating the EU AI Act and on other European legislation still under negotiation.
France’s AI proposals and chatbot developers
A French expert commission proposed new safeguards for consumer chatbots, companions and AI toys. The recommendations are not law, and many would require action at EU level.
Proposed checks
Evaluations would focus on whether systems exploit or aggravate users’ vulnerabilities.
Assess consumer assistants before they are offered in Europe.
Repeat checks at intervals, after substantial model changes, or when an alert is raised.
The report says market withdrawal could be considered; it would not be automatic.
Product safeguards
The proposals address design choices and commercial practices that could affect users.
Limit dependence cues
Restrict flattery and human-like presentation when used to foster dependence or engagement.
Build in protections
Examples include default time limits, a visible stop button, and no persistent memory by default.
Disclose influence
The commission proposes banning undisclosed commercial influence in chatbot answers.
Address inferences
Recommendations include rights concerning what assistants infer about users and prior approval for AI toys.
Who could be covered?
The stated focus is consumer-facing AI, not professional systems.
| System | In the stated scope? |
|---|---|
| Consumer chatbots | ✓ Yes |
| AI companions | ✓ Yes |
| AI toys | ✓ Yes |
| Professional systems | ✗ No |
What happens next?
The report is intended to inform France’s position on the EU AI Act update and other European legislation under negotiation.
- Pre-market and repeat evaluations
- Safeguards for minors and users
- Possible withdrawal after a failed evaluation
- No enacted law or bill reported
- No legislative timetable reported
- Evaluation process and standards remain unclear
How Proposed Checks Could Change Chatbot Releases
If adopted, the proposals could make market access for consumer assistants depend on assessments of how their design and operation affect users—not only on whether a product meets general legal requirements. A pre-launch evaluation followed by repeat checks could require providers to document risks and revisit systems when models or features change. The proposed possibility of market withdrawal would give the assessment practical consequences, though the report does not itself create that power.
For users, the recommendations address risks that can arise in everyday interactions: a chatbot that appears human, retains conversational information, or presents commercially influenced content without clear disclosure. Measures such as default time limits for minors, a stop button and limits on persistent memory could shape how products are designed. These changes would affect developers and platforms, but also depend on how regulators define and apply the proposed standards.
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How the Commission Reached Its Proposals
The commission, named IA générative et vulnérabilités, was set up by France’s Conseil de l’intelligence artificielle et du numérique, an advisory body on AI and digital technology. The minister delegate for AI and digital affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, assigned the work on February 20, 2026. According to the Élysée, nine multidisciplinary and independent experts took part, led by AI researcher Serena Villata and psychiatrists Raphaël Gaillard and Amine Benyamina.
The commission says it held 55 hearings over four months, involving health professionals, researchers, companies, regulators and child-protection groups. Its 193-page report describes concerns including users relying on AI for thinking and decisions, emotional dependence, online abuse including sexual deepfakes, risks to public information and elections, and business models that could profit from user vulnerabilities. Those concerns explain the report’s focus; they do not establish that every AI assistant causes these harms.
The report cites several indicators of adoption and concern, each from a different source and survey. The Élysée summary says France had 33 million unique generative-AI users at the start of 2026. The report cites a digital barometer saying 26% of 12- to 17-year-olds use generative AI daily, and a YouGov survey for Interface in which 92% of teenagers said they spend more time on generative-AI apps than they would like. These figures provide context for the commission’s concerns, not a measure of the proposals’ likely effects.
““and not professional””
— The Élysée
What Is Not Yet Settled
The recommendations have not become law. As of November 11, the source material reported no bill and no timetable for legislation. Many proposals would require EU-level changes, and the report is intended to inform France’s position rather than enact rules by itself.
It is also unclear which recommendations France or the EU may take forward, how any evaluation would be conducted, who would administer it, and what evidence would count as failure. The report suggests periodic checks and possible withdrawal but does not, in the supplied material, specify a complete regulatory process or penalties. President Macron has said risky AI uses for children should be banned, but that statement does not establish that the commission’s specific proposals will be adopted.
The Next Step Is EU Policy Work
The immediate next step identified in the report is consideration of its proposals as France develops positions on the EU AI Act update and other European texts under negotiation. The report does not announce a formal legislative schedule. Whether the recommendations become rules will depend on decisions by French and EU policymakers, including the scope of any measures and the responsibilities assigned to providers and regulators.
For now, chatbot developers and users have a set of proposed safeguards to watch, not new obligations. Further clarity would require a published government or EU legislative proposal, a timetable and details on how assessments, protections for minors and commercial-content rules would work in practice.
Key Questions
What did the French commission propose for AI chatbots?
It recommended that consumer chatbots and AI companions pass a vulnerability-focused evaluation before reaching the European market, followed by periodic checks, checks after substantial model changes and reviews when alerts arise.Are the recommendations already law?
No. They are recommendations submitted to the Élysée, not enacted rules. As of November 11, 2026, the source material reported no bill or legislative timetable.Would the proposals cover workplace AI tools?
The Élysée described the core proposal as applying to consumer systems, not professional systems. The report’s principal scope includes chatbots, AI companions and AI toys.What protections for minors are proposed?
The report recommends that services available to minors use protective measures for all users or robust age verification. Examples include default time limits for minors, a visible stop button, no persistent conversation memory by default and human-like features turned off unless a parent agrees.Could a chatbot be removed from the European market?
The report says market withdrawal could be considered if a provider fails an evaluation. It does not make removal automatic, and the recommendations do not currently give regulators a new withdrawal power.Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
