SB-11 • 2026

Artificial intelligence technology.

Labor Technology

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor: Ashby
Last action: 2026-03-02
Official status: Veto sustained.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was vetoed by the governor, but it is unclear if lawmakers will override this veto.

Rules for Artificial Intelligence

This law defines terms related to artificial intelligence and digital replicas, clarifies rules about impersonation using digital replicas, removes protections for using employee likenesses in advertisements without consent, requires courts to review AI's impact on evidence admissibility, and mandates warnings for users of AI technology that can create digital replicas.

What This Bill Does

Defines terms related to artificial intelligence and digital replication.
Clarifies that false impersonation includes the use of a digital replica with intent to steal or defraud.
Removes protections allowing advertisements to use an employee's likeness without consent if it is not essential to the ad’s purpose.
Requires the Judicial Council to review AI's impact on evidence admissibility and develop rules for handling such evidence by January 1, 2027.
Mandates warnings for users of AI technology that can create digital replicas about potential civil or criminal liability.

Who It Names or Affects

People who use or develop artificial intelligence technology
Courts that handle cases involving AI-generated evidence

Terms To Know

Digital Replica: A computer-made copy of a person, like an image or voice recording.
Unfair Competition Law: Rules that stop businesses from doing things that are unfair or deceptive to customers.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill was vetoed by the governor and the veto has been sustained.
Some parts of this law depend on another bill (SB 683) being passed first.

Bill History

2026-03-02 California Legislative Information
Veto sustained.
2026-03-02 California Legislative Information
Stricken from file.
2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Vetoed by the Governor.
2025-09-23 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-13 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 3035.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-13 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-12 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3409.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-08-20 California Legislative Information
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 16).
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 49. Noes 15. Page 2578.)
2025-07-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
July 8 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2025-06-18 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-06-17 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 17).
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on JUD., PUB. S., and P. & C.P.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1406.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1187.) (May 23).
2025-05-16 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-05 California Legislative Information
May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-04-29 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-25 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 840.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 22.
2025-04-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 12. Noes 0. Page 609.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-03-13 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 1.
2025-01-29 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and PUB. S.
2024-12-03 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 2.
2024-12-02 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 11, Ashby.
Artificial intelligence technology.
(1) Existing law prohibits the false impersonation of another person in either their personal or official capacity with the intent to steal or defraud, as specified.
This bill would define various terms related to artificial intelligence and digital replication, and would clarify that false impersonation includes the use of a digital replica with the intent to impersonate another for purposes of these and other criminal provisions.
(2) Existing law creates a civil cause of action against any person who knowingly uses the name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness of another person, without their consent, for specified purposes. When a photograph or likeness of an employee of the person using the photograph or likeness appearing in an advertisement or
other publication is incidental and not essential to the purpose of the publication, existing law establishes a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of producing evidence that failure to obtain the consent of an employee was not a knowing use of an employee’s photograph or likeness.
This bill would clarify that, for purposes of this cause of action, a voice or likeness includes a digital replica, as defined. The bill would also remove the provisions establishing the rebuttable presumption when an employee’s likeness or photograph appears in an advertisement or other publication.
(3) Existing law governs the admissibility of evidence in court proceedings. Existing law prescribes procedures for the authentication of photographs and audio and video recordings.
This bill would require the Judicial Council, by no later than January 1, 2027, to review the
impact of artificial intelligence on the admissibility of proffered evidence in court proceedings and develop any necessary rules of court to assist courts in assessing claims that proffered evidence has been generated by or manipulated by artificial intelligence and determining whether such evidence is admissible.
(4) Existing law, the Unfair Competition Law, establishes a statutory cause of action for unfair competition, including any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising, and establishes remedies and penalties in that regard, including civil penalties.
This bill would require, by December 1, 2026, and except as provided, any person or entity that makes available to consumers any artificial intelligence technology that
enables a user to create a digital replica, as defined, to provide a consumer warning that unlawful use of the technology to depict another person without prior consent may result in civil or criminal liability for the user. The bill would require the warning to be hyperlinked on any page or screen where the consumer may input a prompt to the technology and included in the terms and conditions for use of the technology. The bill would also impose a civil penalty for violations of the requirement.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3344 of the Civil Code proposed by SB 683 to be operative only if this bill and SB 683 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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