California Effect Drives National AI Policy
Sept. 21, 2025
California has moved quickly on artificial intelligence policy across deepfakes, digital replicas, health care disclosure, insurer guardrails, privacy, and political ads. This post tracks what is already law, what did not make it, and what is currently pending. It links to the official bill pages so you can verify every claim.
California’s Outsized Role in AI Policy
Why does Sacramento matter so much? California is home to Silicon Valley and the majority of the nation’s largest AI companies. Because of its market size (40 million residents and the world’s fifth-largest economy), when California passes a law, companies often apply the same compliance changes across the entire United States rather than create state-specific systems.
This dynamic is sometimes called the “California Effect.” It’s why California’s privacy laws like California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) become de facto national standards before Congress acts. The same pattern is emerging with AI: disclosure rules, deepfake restrictions, and insurer guardrails adopted here are already shaping debates in Washington, D.C., New York, Illinois, and other states.
In practice, that means California’s AI framework isn’t just about compliance in one state. It’s a preview of how AI likely will be regulated nationwide. Tech firms, advertisers, insurers, health systems, and political campaigns across the country are watching California’s laws closely because they know these rules often set the floor for federal action.
Last updated: September 21, 2025
Enacted AI Laws (2024)
| Bill | Topic | Effective | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 2013 | Generative AI training data transparency | Jan 1, 2026 |
Summary Analyses |
| AB 2885 | Creates a baseline definition of “artificial intelligence” in CA law | Jan 1, 2025 | Status & text |
| AB 1008 | CCPA: clarifies personal information can appear in AI outputs | Jan 1, 2025 | Analyses |
| SB 942 | AI Transparency Act: watermarking and detection tools | Jan 1, 2026 |
Chaptered text Analysis |
| SB 1120 | Health insurers and AI in utilization review | Jan 1, 2025 |
Overview Health care law explainer |
| AB 2602 | Digital replicas of performers: consent and contracts | Jan 1, 2025 | Status |
| AB 1836 | Deceased performers’ digital replicas | Jan 1, 2025 | Bill page |
| SB 926 | Criminalizes non-consensual sexual deepfakes | Jan 1, 2025 | Bill page |
| SB 981 | Platform reporting and takedown for explicit digital replicas | Jan 1, 2025 | Bill page |
| AB 2355 | Political ads must disclose AI use | Jan 1, 2025 |
Text Governor’s announcement |
| AB 2655 | Platforms must remove or label election deepfakes | Jan 1, 2025 |
Bill page Coverage |
| AB 2839 | Restricts malicious election deepfakes (subject to litigation) | Sept 2024 | Bill page |
| AB 3030 | Health care AI disclosure in patient communications | Jan 1, 2025 | Bill page |
| AB 2905 | Robocalls: disclosure when using an artificial voice | Jan 1, 2025 |
Bill page Today’s Law |
| SB 1223 | Privacy: neural data classified as sensitive personal information | Jan 1, 2025 | Bill page |
Vetoed or Failed Bills
| Bill | Topic | Outcome | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 1047 | Frontier model safety regime | Vetoed by Governor (Sept 29, 2024) | Context |
| SB 892 | Automated decision systems in state procurement | Vetoed (Sept 20, 2024) | |
| AB 2930 | Automated decision systems: impact assessments | Died in Assembly (inactive file, Aug 31, 2024) | Status |
Pending and New This Session (2025–2026)
| Bill | Topic | Status | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 53 | Transparency in Frontier AI Act | Enrolled and sent to Governor on Sept 13, 2025 |
Status Text Explainer |
| AB 1018 | Automated decision systems with anti-discrimination focus | Active in Assembly (text and scope evolving) | Tracker |
Primary Sources for Verification
- AB 2013: Chaptered text
Summary - AB 2885: Status and analyses
- AB 1008: Status
Analyses - SB 942: Chaptered text
Legal analysis - SB 1120: NLR overview
Healthcare explainer - AB 2602: Status
- AB 1836: Bill page
- SB 926 and SB 981: SB 926
SB 981 - AB 2355 and AB 2655: AB 2355 text
Governor’s release
Coverage - AB 2839: Bill page
- AB 2905: Bill page
Today’s Law - SB 1223: Bill page
- SB 1047 veto: Veto letter
- SB 53 (2025): Summary
Status
Text
Deep dive