U.S. states · Enacted
SB 942 — California AI Transparency Act (detection tools and AI content disclosures), as amended by AB 853
Verified Checked against its sources on 2 sources quoted
- Jurisdiction
- California
- Bill or instrument
- SB 942
- Status
- Enacted; operative since August 2, 2026; AB 853 obligations for platforms (2027) and capture devices (2028) still to come
- Enacted
- September 19, 2024
- Effective
- August 2, 2026 (operative date, as amended by AB 853)
- Applies to
- AI Developers (GenAI providers)
- Sectors
- Generative AI content (cross-sectoral)
- Thresholds
- Covered providers: generative AI systems with more than 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users, publicly accessible in California
- Penalties
- $5,000 civil penalty per violation; injunctive relief against third-party licensees
- Enforcement
- Attorney General, city attorneys and county counsel; no private right of action
Summary
California SB 942, the California AI Transparency Act, applies to covered providers: developers of publicly accessible generative AI systems with more than 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users in California. They must offer a free, publicly accessible AI detection tool, give users the option of a visible (manifest) disclosure on AI-generated image, video or audio content, and embed a latent disclosure conveying provenance information. A violating provider is liable for a $5,000 civil penalty per violation in actions brought by the Attorney General, a city attorney or a county counsel; there is no private right of action. Enacted September 19, 2024, with a January 1, 2026, start; AB 853 (signed October 13, 2025) moved the operative date to August 2, 2026, and added duties for large online platforms and GenAI hosting platforms from January 1, 2027, and for capture-device makers from January 1, 2028.
Key dates
- September 19, 2024Enacted
- October 16, 2026Checked against sources
- October 21, 2026Checked against sources
Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: October 16, 2027.
Evidence
Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.
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On September 19, 2024, California enacted another law relating to artificial intelligence, this time relating to watermarking.
Supports: Enactment date
has over 1,000,000 monthly visitors or users and is publicly accessible within the geographic boundaries of the state
Supports: Covered-provider threshold
it makes a covered provider that violates these provisions liable for a civil penalty of $5,000 per violation, to be collected in a civil action filed by the Attorney General, a city attorney, or a county counsel.
Supports: Penalty and enforcement
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On October 13, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 853 — amendments to the California AI Transparency Act (CAITA) — into law.
Supports: AB 853 signing
The operative date is also extended from January 1, 2026, to August 2, 2026 to align with the EU AI Act
Supports: Operative date moved to August 2, 2026
Suggested citation. Eminence Scan, “SB 942 — California AI Transparency Act (detection tools and AI content disclosures), as amended by AB 853”, Eminence Growth Solutions, last verified October 16, 2026, https://eminencegrowthsolutions.com/tools/eminence-scan/record/state-012/.
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