Technology
California lawmakers pass over 20 bills to regulate artificial intelligence and social media
The legislative package includes restrictions on youth social media features, bans on AI therapists, and workplace surveillance limits, sending the decisions to Governor Gavin Newsom.
The short version
- California's Legislature concluded its session by approving more than two dozen bills targeting artificial intelligence practices and youth social media engagement.
- The legislation introduces age-verification mandates for chatbots, bans autoplay feeds for users under 16, and requires college instructors and therapists to be human.
- Governor Gavin Newsom must decide whether to sign or veto the measures by the end of the month.
Key facts
- California lawmakers approved 26 measures addressing artificial intelligence and social media at the conclusion of their legislative session.[NBC News]
- The bills prohibit social media platforms from offering features like autoplay videos to users under 16 and establish age-verification standards for chatbots.[NBC News]
- Proposed rules mandate that California State University instructors and licensed healthcare therapists must be human beings rather than automated bots.[NBC News]
- Additional measures ban workplace AI surveillance of employee neural data and restrict dynamic surveillance pricing by retailers.[NBC News]
- Governor Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto the legislation.[NBC News]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unknown which specific bills Governor Newsom will sign or veto, particularly following direct outreach from tech leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman raising concerns about certain measures.[NBC News]
Sources
- California Democrats pass more than 20 bills to curtail AI and social mediaNBC News - Top Stories