California AI Transparency Act.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on penalties for non-compliance or the effectiveness of detection tools in practice.

California AI Transparency Act

The California AI Transparency Act requires large AI system creators with over a million monthly visitors to provide free tools for users to detect if content was made or altered by their systems, and includes rules for online platforms and device manufacturers starting in 2027.

What This Bill Does

• Requires people who create big AI systems with over a million monthly visitors to give free tools that help users check if images, videos, or audio were created or changed by the AI system.
• Delays when these rules start from January 1, 2026, to August 2, 2026.
• As of January 1, 2027, large online platforms must check if content on their sites has proper provenance data according to established standards.
• Starting in 2028, manufacturers of devices that can record photos, audio, or video must give users an option to include permanent information about the device when capturing content.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who create big AI systems with over a million monthly visitors or users.
• Large online platforms that host user-generated content.
• Manufacturers of devices used to capture photos, audio, and video.

Terms To Know

AI detection tool

A free tool given by AI system creators to help users check if images, videos, or audio were made or altered by an AI system.

Provenance data

Information about the origin and history of content that helps verify its authenticity.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a large online platform or device manufacturer fails to comply with these requirements.
• It is unclear how effective the AI detection tools will be in practice.

Official Summary Text

AB 853, Wicks.
California AI Transparency Act.
The California AI Transparency Act requires a person that creates, codes, or otherwise produces a generative artificial intelligence system that has over 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users and is publicly accessible within the geographic boundaries of the state to make available an AI detection tool at no cost to the user that, among other things, allows a user to assess whether image, video, or audio content, or content that is a combination thereof, was created or altered by that person’s generative artificial intelligence system and outputs any system provenance data that is detected in the content. Existing law makes the California AI Transparency Act operative on January 1, 2026.
This bill would delay the operation of the California AI Transparency Act until August 2, 2026.
This bill would, beginning January 1, 2027,
additionally require a large online platform, as defined, to, among other things related to the provenance of content on the platform, detect whether any provenance data that is compliant with widely adopted specifications adopted by an established standards-setting body is embedded into or attached to content distributed on the large online platform. The bill would also require, beginning January 1, 2028, a capture device manufacturer, with respect to any capture device the capture device manufacturer
first produced for sale in the state on or after January 1, 2028, to, among other things, provide a user with the option to include a latent disclosure in content captured by the capture device that conveys certain information, including the name of the capture device manufacturer. The bill would define “capture device” to mean a device that can record photographs, audio, or video content, including, but not limited to, video and still photography cameras, mobile phones with built-in cameras or microphones, and voice
recorders.
Existing law requires a covered provider to include a latent disclosure in AI-generated image, video, or audio content, or content that is any combination thereof, created by the covered provider’s GenAI system that, among other things, conveys certain information and is permanent or extraordinarily difficult to remove, to the extent it is technically feasible.
This bill would, beginning January 1, 2027, prohibit a GenAI system hosting platform, as defined, from knowingly making available a GenAI system that does not place disclosures, pursuant to those
provisions.
This bill would declare that its provisions are severable.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF