Assembly committee forwards SB 11 to Appropriations after debate over deepfake warnings, consent and penalties

Senator Ashby presented SB 11, the “AI Abuse Protection Act,” a measure that would expand the legal definition of likeness to include AI‑generated voice and image replicas, require consumer warnings for software that can create high‑quality clones, and create liabilities for nonconsensual and unlawful use of the technology.

Supporters said the bill addresses a documented surge in nonconsensual explicit AI content, most of which depicts women, and that a clear statutory framework is needed to protect victims and clarify evidentiary rules for digitally altered material. Witnesses including representatives of the Transparency Coalition, Chamber of Progress, members of the entertainment industry and victim‑advocacy groups told the committee the legislation strikes a balance between protecting people’s images and permitting legitimate creative uses.

Opponents, including business trade groups, urged narrowing of the bill’s penalty provisions and careful treatment of business‑to‑business and employee uses. The California Chamber of Commerce sought lower penalty levels and further clarification about B2B and enterprise uses. Video game and entertainment representatives raised placement and practicality concerns about a required consumer warning in certain real‑time content or immersive products.

Several committee members said they were sympathetic to broad protections for nonconsensual deepfakes while pushing authors and stakeholders to refine penalty amounts and technical language. The author accepted committee amendments that narrowed some wording and added a consent element to unlawful depiction language.

Outcome: The bill was moved as amended to Appropriations. The committee recorded support from consumer‑protection groups and some industry voices that have continued to engage on technical fixes. The author said she would continue negotiations about penalties and B2B exceptions before floor action.