California · AI Transparency Act

What the statute requires, section by section

California AI Transparency Act, enacted by SB 942 (2024) and amended by AB 853 (2025) and by SB 1000 (Chapter 861, Statutes of 2026, approved 30 September 2026, an urgency statute that took effect immediately) and by AB 2713 (Chapter 856, Statutes of 2026, approved 30 September 2026), codified at Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 22757.1 et seq. A "covered provider" is a person that creates, codes or otherwise produces a generative AI system that is publicly accessible in California; SB 1000 deleted the earlier threshold of over 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users. Core obligations (operative AUGUST 2, 2026, aligned to the EU AI Act):

Latent disclosure

to the extent technically feasible, include in image, video or audio content created or altered by the provider's GenAI system, except by minor modification, a disclosure conveying the provider's name, the name and version of the GenAI system, the time and date of creation or alteration, a unique identifier, and whether the system created or altered the content; from JANUARY 1, 2029, also whether the system is designed to primarily function as assistive technology. The disclosure must be permanent or extraordinarily difficult to remove or tamper with, compatible with the provider's disclosure verification tool, and compliant or interoperable with widely recognized industry standards.

Manifest disclosure

SB 1000 deleted the requirement to offer the user the option of including a manifest disclosure in content.

Disclosure verification tool

the tool formerly called the "AI detection tool", renamed by SB 1000. Make available, at no cost, a publicly accessible tool that lets a user assess whether image, video or audio content was created or altered, except by minor modification, by the provider's GenAI system, and that outputs any system provenance data detected. It does not output personal information without the express consent of the person it concerns. Users can upload content or give a URL, and an interface such as an API lets them use the tool without visiting the provider's website. A provider may instead direct users to a compliant third-party tool.

Licensees

when licensing its GenAI system, the provider notifies the licensee of the licensee's obligations. If it knows a licensee modified the system so that it no longer complies, it must within 72 hours either terminate the licence or notify the licensee, who then has 96 hours to bring the system into compliance or stop using it, and to report which it did; the provider reports a licensee that does neither to the Attorney General. AB 853 adds duties for large online platforms and GenAI hosting platforms, operative JANUARY 1, 2027, and for capture-device manufacturers, operative JANUARY 1, 2028 (out of scope of this per-generation pack, see disclosures).

Large online platforms

section 22757.3.1, as amended by AB 2713, operative JANUARY 1, 2027. A large online platform detects whether any provenance data is embedded into, attached to or otherwise associated with content it distributes. It provides a user interface that reliably indicates whether system provenance data or a digital signature identifies the content as generated or substantially altered by a GenAI system or captured by a capture device, and that shows whether provenance data is present, the name of the GenAI system or capture device, if applicable, and whether any digital signatures are present. It lets a user inspect system provenance data in an easily accessible manner, by displaying it in the platform's own interface, by linking to a website or application that displays it, including one run by a third party, or by letting the user download the provenance data in a format that cannot be easily attached to unrelated content. It is not required to maintain, display or allow a user to download personal information. To the extent technically feasible, it may not knowingly strip any system provenance data or digital signature from content uploaded to, distributed on or downloaded from the platform. None of this requires action on provenance data, system provenance data or digital signatures that are not compliant or interoperable with widely adopted specifications issued by an established standards-setting body.

Assistive technology

before JANUARY 1, 2029, the Act does not apply to a GenAI system designed to primarily function as assistive technology. A provider may not falsely represent that a system is so designed.

Penalties

$5,000 per violation, collected in a civil action by the Attorney General, a city attorney or a county counsel, each day of violation a discrete violation, with attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff. Falsely representing that a GenAI system is designed to primarily function as assistive technology carries $50,000 per violation, each day a discrete violation (section 22757.4.1, in effect until JANUARY 1, 2029).

Taken from the Regulayer™ entry for this instrument, which is built against the primary text. The SB 1000 changes are from the chaptered text of SB 1000, Chapter 861, Statutes of 2026, read in full. The AB 2713 changes are from the chaptered text of AB 2713, Chapter 856, Statutes of 2026, read in full.