- jurisdiction
- US, California
- level
- state
- domain
- transparency
- status
- in-effect
- scope
- Requires large generative AI providers (over 1,000,000 monthly users or visitors in California) to make available a free AI-content detection tool and to include disclosures in AI-generated content.
- obligations
- Covered providers must: make available a free AI detection tool allowing users to assess whether image, video, or audio content was created by the provider's generative AI system; include manifest disclosures in AI-generated content; support latent disclosures (content provenance metadata). AB 853 (2025) added requirements for large online platforms and GenAI hosting platforms effective January 1, 2027.
- effectiveDate
- 2026-08-02
- enactedDate
- 2024-09-19
- appliesTo
- persons that create, code, or otherwise produce a generative AI system with over 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users publicly accessible in California
- notes
- Signed September 19, 2024. Original operative date January 1, 2026, extended to August 2, 2026 by AB 853 (signed October 13, 2025), which amended Business and Professions Code Section 22757.6 to state 'This chapter shall become operative on August 2, 2026.' Confirmed directly against the AB 853 bill text on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. As of this research date (2026-08-04), August 2, 2026 has passed and no further extension has been enacted, so the AI detection tool and manifest/latent disclosure obligations are now operative. AB 853's separate large-online-platform and GenAI-hosting-platform requirements remain on a later January 1, 2027 timeline.
