# California AI Transparency Act (SB 942, as amended by AB 853)

- **Record type**: Policy instrument
- **Jurisdiction**: California (United States)
- **Instrument type**: Act / statute
- **Status**: Adopted
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Issuing body**: California State Legislature
- **Applies from**: 2026-08-02

## In brief

The California AI Transparency Act (SB 942) is a binding act of California (United States), issued by California State Legislature. Its current status is adopted. Covered providers of generative AI systems used in California; from 2027, large online platforms and hosting platforms under AB 853.

## Summary

Covered providers of generative AI systems must offer a free AI-detection tool and embed disclosures and provenance data in AI-generated content. AB 853 (Chapter 674, Statutes of 2025) moved the operative date to 2 August 2026 and added duties for large online platforms and generative-AI hosting platforms.

## Scope

Covered providers of generative AI systems used in California; from 2027, large online platforms and hosting platforms under AB 853.

## Who it applies to

Large generative-AI providers, and from 2027 large online platforms and generative-AI hosting platforms.

## Key dates

AB 853 approved 13 October 2025; provider duties operative 2 August 2026; platform duties operative 1 January 2027; one further section operative 1 January 2028.

## Notes on dates

SB 942's own chapter number and signing date were not confirmed; the code display page still shows a 1 January 2026 effective date, which appears to predate AB 853.

## Provenance

- **Permanent id**: AIPT-POL-0207 (https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0207; never changes or gets reused)
- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-california-ai-transparency-act-sb-942
- **Official source**: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB942
- **Source document**: California Legislative Information: SB 942 (2023-2024)
- **Published by**: California Legislative Information
- **Review status**: pending review
- **Confidence**: medium
- **Facts last confirmed**: never confirmed against the official source
- **Retrieved**: 2026-10-21
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- **Cite as**: AIPolicyTracker (2026). "California AI Transparency Act (SB 942, as amended by AB 853)" [AIPT-POL-0207, record version 1, not yet verified]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0207 (accessed 21 October 2026).

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.