California Enacts 20 Laws to Regulate Artificial Intelligence, Covering Deepfakes, Child Protection, and Surveillance

The Governor of California signed a legislative package comprising nearly 20 laws regulating various aspects of artificial intelligence use, in the broadest legislative wave of its kind at the U.S. state level, a step that deepens the divide between California's regulatory approach and the more flexible federal stance.

The new laws include banning the production and distribution of explicit and non-consensual deepfake content, imposing controls on facial recognition systems in public spaces, and requiring digital platforms to protect children from psychological manipulation via recommendation algorithms.

Supporters of these laws view them as addressing an urgent societal need to keep pace with the unprecedented acceleration of generative artificial intelligence capabilities, while critics from the private sector warn that complex legislation will burden startups and encourage the relocation of investments to less regulated states.

This California move represents a model closely watched by lawmakers in the European Union, Saudi Arabia, and Gulf states seeking to draft a balanced regulatory framework that protects citizens without slowing down innovation, according to reports.

What does deepfake mean?

Deepfake: An artificial intelligence-based technology that enables the generation of fake images, videos, or audio recordings that appear real, used in fraud, political manipulation, and non-consensual explicit content.