California legislature nears Monday night adjournment with 26 AI bills passed
Aug. 31, 2026 — California legislators worked late into the night on Monday, the final day for bills to be passed in the Senate and Assembly, and were expected to adjourn sine die before Tuesday morning.
As of Monday night at 9 p.m., lawmakers had passed a total of 26 AI-related bills in the 2026 session.
Two of those bills have already been signed and enacted by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The remaining 24 now move to his desk to await his action. The governor has until Sept. 30 to decide their fate.
Among the AI-related bills that gained passage in the legislature’s final week:
A bill (AB 1709) that would prohibit social media companies from offering addictive features such as a personalized feeds and autoplaying videos to kids under 16;
A bill (SB 1119) that updates California’s existing chatbot law and includes a number of leading child safety components;
A bill (AB 2564) that would prohibit retailers from engaging in surveillance pricing, also known as algorithmic or dynamic pricing;
A bill (SB 928) that would require instructors in the Cal State university system to be human, not AI;
A bill (AB 2) that would make a social media platform liable for damages if the platform fails to exercise ordinary care or skill that injures a child;
A bill (AB 1883) that would prohibit an employer from using a workplace surveillance tool that uses AI to, among other things, collect neural data or identify a worker’s emotional state.
Here is a list of all the AI-related bills approved in California this year.
Bills approved over the final weekend
AB 2 would make a social media platform liable for specified damages if the platform fails to exercise ordinary care or skill by causing injury to a child. Approved by Assembly in May 2025, now with Senate. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Lowenthal, et al.)
AB 1159 would apply the state’s student privacy protections (under KOPIPA and ELPIPA) to digital operators with knowledge that the site, service, app, etc, is used for and marketed for school purposes. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Addis)
AB 1405 would require the Government Operations Agency to establish an AI Auditor Registry allowing AI auditors to register with the state, and would prohibit an unregistered person or organization from offering, selling, or conducting an AI audit. (Asm. Bauer-Kahan, Sen. McNerney, et al)
AB 1709 would require social media companies to offer platforms to kids under 16 that don’t include addictive features such as a personalized feeds and autoplaying videos. Assembly voted to concur with Senate version, sent bill to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 31. (Asm. Lowenthal, et al)
AB 1883 is a workplace surveillance bill that would prohibit an employer from using a workplace surveillance tool that uses AI to, among other things, collect neural data or identify a worker’s emotional state. “Neural data” includes any information generated by measuring the activity of a person’s central or peripheral nervous system. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Bryan)
AB 1979 concerns the use of AI in healthcare services. A business that offers a health care chatbot to a consumer would be considered a provider of health care subject to the requirements of the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Bonta)
AB 2071 would require digital health to be taught as part of existing courses in health education in California schools. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Hoover, Sen. Umberg)
AB 2564 would prohibit a retailer from engaging in surveillance pricing. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Ward, Sen. Wahab, Asm. Kalra)
AB 2575 concerns the use of AI in health care. It would declare that a worker providing direct patient care be free to use their professional judgment to make assessments and decisions within their scope of practice as appropriate for their patients, even if that involves overriding an AI-powered or AI-assisted clinical decision support system. The bill would prohibit an employer from retaliating or discriminating against a worker providing patient care. Approved by Assembly on May 27, by full Senate on Aug. 31. (Asm. Ortega)
AB 2713 updates the existing California AI Transparency Act. The Act currently requires a large online platform to provide a user interface that makes information clearly and conspicuously available to users. The act requires that information to include whether provenance data or digital signatures are available. This bill would instead require that information to include whether provenance data or digital signatures are embedded into, attached to, or otherwise associated with the content. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Asm. Wicks, Asm Aguiar-Curry)
SB 503 would require AI developers and deployers of medical clinical decision support systems to make reasonable efforts to identify the risk of biased impacts from deployment of the system. Developers would be required to make a statement describing the intended uses and known or foreseeable risks associated with the use of the system. Deployers would be required to make reasonable efforts to mitigate the risks of biased impacts, and to regularly monitor the systems and take reasonable steps to mitigate biased impacts. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 30. (Sen. Weber Pierson)
SB 813 would develop requirements regarding third-party independent verification organizations (IVOs) certifying AI compliance and safety. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 30. (Sen. McNerney)
SB 903 concerns the use of AI and the transcription of patient information in professional mental health therapy. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 31. (Sen. Padilla, Sen. Rubio)
SB 947 would establish worker protections regarding the use of AI and automated decision systems (ADS). Final approval Aug. 31, sent to Gov. Newsom. (Sen. McNerney, Sen. Reyes)
SB 951, is a digital displacement notice bill, requiring 90-day notice from certain covered employers before any technological displacement affecting 25% or more of the workforce. Senate approved concurrence Aug. 31, sent to Gov. Newsom. (Sen. Reyes)
SB 1000 modifies existing law regarding AI disclosure and provenance data. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 27. (Sen. Becker)
SB 1111 concerns AI and digital replicas. Existing law prohibits the false impersonation of another person with the intent to steal or defraud. This bill would clarify that false impersonation includes the use of a digital replica with the intent to impersonate another. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 28. (Sen. Ashby)
SB 1119 is a chatbot safety bill that updates California’s existing chatbot safety bill and includes a number of leading protection components. Approved by full Senate 39-0 on May 19, approved by full Assembly on Aug. 31. (Sen. Padilla, Asm. Wicks, Asm. Bauer-Kahan)
Bills previously approved and sent to gov. Newsom
AB 2025 is a real estate AI disclosure bill that would require the disclosure of AI used to digitally alter any promotional materials regarding the sale of real property. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 25. (Asm. Pellerin)
AB 2392 would require the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request the University of California, before providing a Gen AI system to students, faculty, or staff, to convene a joint working group to present recommendations for procurement standards and training, submitted by Jan. 1, 2028. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 26. (Asm. Fong)
AB 2656 would require state and local public employers to provide written notice to a recognized employee organization at least 45 days before taking an action to develop, purchase, implement, or utilize GenAI to perform a service that is within the scope of work of the job classification represented by the recognized employee organization. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 25. (Asm. Petrie-Norris)
SB 1159 would specify that, for purposes of the California Public Records Act and other open meeting acts, “person,” “interested person,” “participant,” “member of the public,” and any other similar terms do not include artificial intelligence systems, autonomous agents, robots, or other nonhuman entities, whether physical or digital. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 20. (Sen. Cabaldon)
AB 1651 relates to the use of AI in the development or administration of the State Bar exam. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 10. (Asm. Dixon)
SB 928 is a bill concerning the protection of California State University employees from the encroachment of artificial intelligence. Specifies that CSU instructors must be human, not AI. Sent to Gov. Newsom on Aug. 18. (Sen. Cervantes)
2026 AI-related Bills already signed by Gov. Newsom
These two California AI-related bills have been signed and enacted:
AB 2148 explicitly states that an elementary or secondary public school employee or a contractor providing services in a public school specifically means a natural person. Signed into law by Gov. Newsom on June 30. (Asm. Muratsuchi, Asm. Hoover)
SB 719 Requires all automobiles (beginning with the 2031 model year) with “connected vehicle service” (data-capture software that allows a third party to track the location of the vehicle) to clearly indicate to the person inside the vehicle that such a location access system is enabled. Signed and enacted by Gov. Newsom on June 30. (Sen. Cabaldon, Sen. Pierson)
Bills still awaiting passage late monday night
These AI-related bills had not passed as the legislature moved into the late-night hours Monday night:
AB 1018 would regulate the use of AI in employment, housing and healthcare decisions. It would require developers of the systems to provide instructions on how they should be deployed and users of the technology to disclose the role it played to make decisions to fire a person from their job, among other actions. (Asm. Bauer-Kahan, et al)
AB 1609 concerns customer service chatbots. Approved by full Assembly on May 27, sent to Senate. Passed and re-referred to Senate Judiciary on June 22. Passed and re-referred to Senate Appropriations on July 1. Result of Aug. 13 Senate Appropriations suspense vote: Do pass as amended, 5-2. Amended and ordered to third reading on Aug. 24. Approved by the Senate on Aug. 30 and sent to Assembly for concurrence. (Asm. Zbur)
SB 300 would strengthen existing laws regarding chatbots, by requiring companion chatbot operators to prevent its chatbot products from producing or facilitating the exchange of any sexually explicit material or proposing sexually explicit content. Approved by full Senate, 38-0, on Jan. 26. Approved and re-referred to Assembly Appropriations on July 2. Result of Aug. 13 Assembly Appropriations suspense vote: Do pass, 13-0, ordered to third reading. Ordered to inactive file on Aug. 30. (Sen. Padilla)
SB 574 would establish protections and standards for attorneys licensed by the state, with regard to their use of AI. Approved by Senate on Jan. 29. Approved and re-referred to Assembly Privacy on July 1. Amended and ordered to third Assembly reading on Aug. 21. (Sen. Umberg)
SB 867 would prohibit the inclusion of companion chatbots in toys. Approved by Senate on May 28. Approved by Assembly P&CP 14-1 on June 16, now with Appropriations. Placed on suspense file July 1. Result of Aug. 13 Assembly Appropriations suspense vote: Do pass as amended, 11-0. Ordered to third reading on Aug. 17. (Sen. Padilla, et al)
SB 951, is a digital displacement notice bill, requiring 90-day notice from certain covered employers before any technological displacement affecting 25% or more of the workforce. Approved by full Senate 28-9 on May 20. Approved and re-referred to Assembly Appropriations on July 1. Result of Aug. 13 Assembly Appropriations suspense vote: Approved 10-3. Amended and ordered to third reading on Aug. 24. Senate approved concurrence Aug. 31. (Sen. Reyes)
SB 1050 would require disclosures about the use of AI (synthetic performers) in advertisements. Approved by Senate on May 28. Approved by Assembly P&CP 13-2 on June 16. Approved by Assembly Judiciary 9-0 on June 23. Approved and re-referred to Assembly Appropriations 10-1 on July 1. Result of Aug. 13 Assembly Appropriations suspense vote: Approved as amended, 12-1. Amended and ordered to third reading on Aug. 19. (Sen. Ashby)