California Air Resources Board

Summary

This bill codifies parts of the Governor’s Executive Order N-12-23 (EO N-12-23) addressing the use and regulation of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools by State agencies. The bill tasks specified agencies to update the EO N-12-23 mandated report on the benefits and risks of GenAI. State agencies shall also consider procuring GenAI tools to improve efficiency, effectiveness, accessibility, and equity of government operations.

View full bill text here

Governor’s Signing Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:
I am signing Senate Bill 896, known as the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Accountability Act, which requires the California Department of Technology (CDT) and the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to update specified reports called for in Executive Order N-12-23.

On September 6, 2023, I signed an Executive Order (EO) that underscores California's commitment to developing a deliberative and responsible process for the evaluation and deployment of AI within state government. Over the last year, my Administration has worked tirelessly to study the development, use and risks of AI, including potential threats to, and vulnerabilities of, California's critical infrastructure, including those that could lead to mass casualty events.

SB 896 codifies several important aspects of this EO, including direction to CalOES to perform risk analyses on potential threats posed by the use of GenAI to California's critical infrastructure. Under this direction, CalOES has been working with frontier model companies to analyze energy infrastructure risks and convened power sector providers to share threats and security strategies. Building on this work, and in signing this bill, I am further directing CalOES to undertake the same risk assessment with water infrastructure providers in the coming year, and the communications sector shortly thereafter.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

View Governor’s signing message here