NeuralStackCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom signed another AI bill into law this week, requiring clear disclosure when video or audio advertisements use performers generated by AI. Newsom signed SB 1050, sponsored by Sen. Angelique Ashby, at SAG-AFTRA’s union headquarters on Wednesday. SAG-AFTRA was the bill’s primary advocacy group, while the Transparency Coalition also supported the measure.
SB 1050 places synthetic performers directly within the state’s advertising rules. The law applies to video or audio advertisements that use AI-generated performers, requiring viewers or listeners to receive a clear disclosure. It adds California to the growing state-level effort to make synthetic media more visible to the public.
California’s latest action follows a broader wave of AI legislation signed earlier this month. Newsom has signed roughly 20 AI-related bills so far in 2026, while about a dozen additional measures have passed the legislature but remain unsigned. With the legislature adjourned, the governor has until Sept. 30 to decide the fate of more than 30 AI-related measures.
The bills already enacted address a wide range of concerns beyond advertising. They include protections involving children and addictive social-media features, student privacy, digital health education, AI auditing, workplace surveillance and chatbot safety. Other measures concern the use of AI in the State Bar exam, electronic devices in kindergarten and whether instructors at California State University must be human rather than AI.
Why this matters
SB 1050 gives advertisers a specific transparency obligation when synthetic performers appear in commercial content. That requirement could increase pressure on companies producing advertisements to identify AI-generated participants before campaigns reach audiences. It also reflects how state legislation is moving from broad AI principles toward rules for identifiable uses of the technology.
California is not acting alone. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey and North Carolina remain in session and continue to consider AI-related bills. The six-state activity indicates that policy development is continuing even as California approaches the deadline for action on its remaining measures.
The Transparency Coalition’s mid-year report said that 85 new AI-related laws had been passed in 27 states in 2026. The legislation covered chatbot safety, education and children’s digital lives, medical authorization and mental health, consumer rights and oversight of frontier models.
Pennsylvania is among the states still weighing AI legislation. Its House reconvened on Sept. 9 during a special Philadelphia session, and its Senate is scheduled to return on Sept. 28. As lawmakers resume work and Newsom considers California’s remaining bills, requirements for disclosure, safety and accountability will continue to develop through state action.