California's AI Bills Face Final Judgment
Key highlights this week:
We’re tracking 1,093 bills in all 50 states related to AI during the 2025 legislative session.
Lawmakers failed to come to an agreement to amend Colorado’s major AI law during a special session, and instead delayed the law’s effective date by a few months to June 2026.
Attorneys general in over 40 states warn of potential harms from deepfakes and companion chatbots.
Industry is forming super PACs to combat AI regulations in states like California, as over a dozen AI-related bills in the Golden State could be headed to the governor's desk this month, which is the topic of this week’s deep dive.
As California’s legislative session winds down, attention is once again on the Golden State to see whether it will maintain its leadership role in regulating emerging tech issues like artificial intelligence. Dozens of proposals were axed last week, but many key measures remain under consideration as lawmakers enter the final stretch. The surviving AI bills cover a wide range of priorities, from regulating foundation models and algorithmic pricing to protecting children from harmful chatbot interactions.
This year, lawmakers in California introduced 47 AI-related bills. (Surprisingly, Montana (48), Illinois (48), New Jersey (67), Texas (81), Massachusetts (93), and New York (143) all introduced more AI-related bills this session.) But with just a few weeks to go, only 17of California’s AI bills remain alive, with several held up in the “suspense file” on Friday. Below, we run through the bills that have survived to this point and are still eligible for lawmakers to send to Governor Newsom (D) before the legislature adjourns on September 12.
