# AI rules in California The most active US AI rule-maker: a frontier-model transparency law (SB 53), training-data disclosure, CCPA automated-decision rules, companion-chatbot and provenance laws are in force, and a 2026 wave adds child-safety audits, workplace ADS limits and an AI auditor regime. - **Approach:** Targeted binding rules - **Key bodies:** California Attorney General, California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Civil Rights Council / Civil Rights Department, Labor Commissioner, Government Operations Agency - **Last reviewed:** 4 Oct 2026 ## Rules (8) - [SB 53 / TFAIA](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb53-tfaia-2025/index.md): In force, Law, effective 1 Jan 2026. Requires developers of frontier models (trained with more than 10^26 operations) to publish transparency reports at release, and 'large frontier developers' (over $500M annual revenue) to publish and follow a frontier AI framework on catastrophic risk and send quarterly risk summaries to Cal OES. Critical safety incidents must be reported to Cal OES within 15 days (24 hours if there is imminent risk of death or serious injury), and whistleblowers are protected. - [AB 2013](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-ab2013-training-data-transparency-2024/index.md): In force, Law, effective 1 Jan 2026. Requires developers of generative AI systems made available to Californians (released or substantially modified since 1 Jan 2022) to post documentation on their websites about training data, including dataset sources, data types, whether copyrighted or personal information is included, and collection periods. Narrow exemptions cover security, aircraft and federal defence systems. - [CCPA ADMT regulations](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-ccpa-admt-regulations-2025/index.md): Partly in force, Regulation, effective 1 Jan 2026. Updates the California Consumer Privacy Act regulations to give consumers rights to pre-use notice, opt-out and access when businesses use automated decision-making technology for significant decisions (e.g. employment, lending, housing, health care, education), and requires risk assessments and annual cybersecurity audits for high-risk processing. Applies to businesses subject to the CCPA. - [SB 243](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb243-companion-chatbots-2025/index.md): In force, Law, effective 1 Jan 2026. Requires operators of 'companion chatbot' platforms to disclose that users are talking to AI, maintain protocols to detect and respond to suicidal ideation and self-harm (including crisis referrals), and, for known minors, give break reminders and block sexually explicit content. Operators must publish their protocols and report annually to the Office of Suicide Prevention. - [SB 1119 / Adam's Law](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb1119-adams-law-companion-chatbots-children-2026/index.md): Enacted, not yet in force, Law, effective 1 Jul 2027. Requires companion-chatbot operators, from 1 Jul 2027, to perform and document a comprehensive child-safety risk assessment before releasing a new or substantially modified chatbot, and to provide child-account protections and parental controls. Operators must also obtain independent child-safety audits (first by 1 Jan 2029 or before first public release, then every two years); the Attorney General can request audit reports for cause. - [CA AI Transparency Act](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-ai-transparency-act-sb942/index.md): Partly in force, Law, effective 2 Aug 2026. Requires generative AI providers whose systems are publicly accessible in California to offer a free disclosure-verification tool and embed latent provenance disclosures (provider, system and version, creation date, unique identifier, and whether AI created or altered the content) in AI-generated or altered image, video and audio. AB 853 delayed operation to 2 Aug 2026 and extended duties to large online platforms (2027) and capture-device makers (2028); SB 1000 (urgency statute, effective 30 Sep 2026) removed the 1-million-user threshold and the manifest-label option. - [SB 947](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb947-no-robo-bosses-2026/index.md): Enacted, not yet in force, Law, effective 1 Jul 2027. Bars California employers from relying solely on automated decision systems for discipline or termination decisions, requires human review and corroboration, and requires notice to affected workers including a description of the data used. Protects workers from retaliation for asserting these rights. - [SB 813 / AB 1405](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb813-ab1405-ai-verification-auditors-2026/index.md): Enacted, not yet in force, Law. SB 813 creates a state framework to certify independent verification organizations that assess AI systems and models for safety and risk; AB 1405 has the Government Operations Agency set up a registry of AI auditors with independence and transparency standards and bars unregistered persons from conducting covered AI audits. ## Upcoming deadlines - 1 Jan 2027: ADMT notice, opt-out and access duties apply to businesses using ADMT for significant decisions ([CCPA ADMT regulations](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-ccpa-admt-regulations-2025/index.md)) - 1 Jan 2027: Large online platforms must detect and display embedded provenance data ([CA AI Transparency Act](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-ai-transparency-act-sb942/index.md)) - 1 Jul 2027: Operators' first annual reports to the Office of Suicide Prevention ([SB 243](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb243-companion-chatbots-2025/index.md)) - 1 Jul 2027: Pre-release child-safety risk assessments and child-account protections apply; first independent child-safety audit due by 1 Jan 2029 (or before first public release), then every two years ([SB 1119 / Adam's Law](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb1119-adams-law-companion-chatbots-children-2026/index.md)) - 1 Jul 2027: First obligations apply ([SB 947](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb947-no-robo-bosses-2026/index.md)) - 1 Jan 2028: Government Operations Agency must set application requirements and process for designating independent verification organizations (SB 813); AI Auditor Registry due by 1 Jan 2029 (AB 1405) ([SB 813 / AB 1405](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/us-ca-sb813-ab1405-ai-verification-auditors-2026/index.md)) ## Programmes and facts - SB 53 (2025) created a consortium to design 'CalCompute', a public AI compute cluster - Sep 2026 governor executive order to accelerate third-party oversight and independent audits of AI, convening experts to propose AI-safety law upgrades within two months - Nearly 30 AI-related measures enacted in the 2026 session (Transparency Coalition count); signing period closed 30 Sep 2026 --- Canonical page: https://wheresthe.ai/j/us-ca/ ยท Not legal advice.