California SB 942
The leading US content-provenance mandate — aligned in spirit with the EU's marking obligations that also bit in August 2026, pushing C2PA-style provenance from voluntary standard toward legal requirement across two major markets simultaneously.
What it is
Requires large GenAI providers (over 1M monthly users) to offer free AI-detection tools and embed latent provenance disclosures in AI-generated content; AB 853 (2025) delayed operation to August 2026 and extended duties to large platforms and capture devices.
Who is affected
The leading US content-provenance mandate — aligned in spirit with the EU's marking obligations that also bit in August 2026, pushing C2PA-style provenance from voluntary standard toward legal requirement across two major markets simultaneously.
Key obligations
- Free public AI-detection tool for covered providers
- Latent (machine-readable) provenance data in AI-generated content
- Platforms must surface provenance data; capture devices embed authenticity data
Recent signals
Connecticut's AI and online safety law takes effect
Public Act 26-15 and companion privacy amendments took effect, covering AI chatbot disclosures, facial recognition and surveillance pricing.
California enacts SB 574 on lawyers' and arbitrators' use of generative AI
The first state statute on attorney AI use. It bars delegating the practice of law to generative AI and requires lawyers to verify citations and disclose AI use in court filings. Arbitrators may not delegate decisions to AI. It takes effect 1 January 2027.
New York sets frontier developer registration for November
Governor Hochul announced that frontier AI developers must register with the state from November 2026 under the RAISE Act, with full duties from January 2027.
California signs SB 813 and AB 1405 on independent AI verification
Governor Newsom signed the first US laws creating accredited AI verification organisations and standards for AI auditors, calling on the federal government to follow.
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