NeuralStackCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1050 this week, requiring clear disclosure when video or audio advertisements use performers generated by artificial intelligence. The law, sponsored by Sen. Angelique Ashby, addresses synthetic performers and was backed by SAG-AFTRA and the Transparency Coalition.
Newsom signed the measure Wednesday at SAG-AFTRA union headquarters, making it his main AI policy action of the week. The governor had already signed a group of AI-related bills earlier in September, and California has enacted roughly 20 AI measures so far this year.
The California legislature has adjourned, but the state’s AI policy agenda is not finished. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide the fate of more than 30 AI-related measures, including about a dozen bills that lawmakers have passed but not yet sent into law.
Among the measures already signed are bills addressing children’s social media use, student privacy, digital health education, AI auditing, workplace surveillance, chatbot safety and the use of AI in education. Other enacted measures would limit addictive feeds for younger users, prohibit companion chatbots in toys for five years and require California State University instructors to be human rather than AI.
Why this matters
SB 1050 adds a specific disclosure requirement to an area where synthetic media can appear directly in consumer advertising. For advertisers and platforms, the law places transparency around AI-generated performers alongside California’s broader rules covering digital services, children and automated systems.
The state-level policy push is continuing beyond California. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey and North Carolina remain in session and are still considering AI-related bills, while Pennsylvania lawmakers are scheduled to return to the Senate on Sept. 28.
The scale of activity is reflected in the Transparency Coalition’s mid-year tally: 85 new AI-related laws had been enacted in 27 states during 2026. The measures cover chatbot safety, education and children’s digital lives, medical authorization and mental health, consumer rights and oversight of frontier models.
California’s remaining decisions will determine how much of this year’s proposed AI framework becomes law before the legislative cycle closes. The state’s actions, together with bills still moving in five other states, point to continued reliance on state legislation to establish disclosure, safety and accountability requirements for AI systems and services.