Assembly committee advances slate of AI consumer‑protection bills on ads, toys, deepfakes and children’s content

The California State Assembly Consumer Protection Committee advanced a package of bills aimed at curbing harms from artificial intelligence and strengthening consumer protections, moving each to the next committee for further consideration.

Chair (speaker 1) opened the hearing and introduced several measures, saying of synthetic content, “I wanna live in a world where I understand whether what I'm seeing is real or not.” The committee set a strict speaker protocol and called multiple roll votes before advancing bills.

Advertisement disclosures (SB 10 50). Chair presented SB 10 50, the Advertisement Integrity Act, saying the bill would require advertisements that depict AI‑generated performers to include a disclosure when the performer is synthetic. Shane Guzman of SAG‑AFTRA and the Teamsters (speaker 2), a sponsor witness, said the bill is "about disclosure" and urged an I vote to protect consumers and performers: "They deserve to know who is pitching them on a product." Opponents, including Robert Boykin of TechNet (speaker 9) and Melissa Ptak of the Motion Picture Association (speaker 10), pressed for narrower language and stronger enforcement safeguards. Boykin warned the measure, as drafted, could require labels where no reasonable consumer would be misled and urged a materiality standard and a right‑to‑cure; Ptak flagged concerns about a private right of action and asked that enforcement be limited to public prosecutors. The committee moved SB 10 50 to the Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee after a motion and roll call.

Nonconsensual deepfakes and impersonation (SB 11 11). The committee also advanced SB 11 11, which its proponent described as establishing causes of action in the right of publicity and false impersonation laws for users who create digital replicas of someone’s voice or likeness without consent. Mikey Hothi of Common Sense Media (speaker 14) said the lack of legal remedies for deepfake victims — who are often women and children — leaves people vulnerable to exploitation and fraud. The committee referred the measure to the Public Safety Committee.

Child‑influencer deletion rights (SB 12 47). A separate measure would let people monetized online as children ask for the deletion of content when they reach adulthood. The presenter argued this bill is a continuation of prior protections for child influencers and a necessary privacy remedy for those who did not consent to being monetized; advocates from Children Now supported the proposal. The committee sent the bill to the Judiciary Committee.

AI chatbot toys moratorium (SB 867). Lawmakers heard testimony about toys that use chatbot technology and some researchers’ findings that certain devices can produce inappropriate or unsafe guidance and pose data privacy risks. A sponsor sought a four‑year moratorium on the sale and manufacture of AI chatbot‑powered toys to allow the legislature time to modernize toy‑safety standards; children’s advocates urged caution while retail and business groups raised definitional and scope concerns. The committee moved that bill toward Appropriations.

Health‑care deepfake protections (SB 11 46). The committee advanced a bill to require clear disclosures when advertisements use AI‑generated replicas portrayed as health‑care providers. Dr. Adam Dougherty (speaker 15) for the California Medical Association warned that deepfake physicians have been used to promote unvetted medical products and urged the committee to pass the bill to protect patients. That measure was referred to Judiciary.

AI transparency update (SB 1,000). Sponsors said SB 1,000 would align California’s AI Transparency Act with international guidance and standardize machine‑readable provenance labels; tech industry representatives signaled support. The committee sent the measure to Appropriations.

What’s next. Committee members repeatedly urged staff and authors to refine technical definitions — for example, what counts as a "prominent" synthetic performer and how to protect accessibility features — before the measures reach the floor. Several rolls were left open for absent members; most items were moved forward with motions to refer to named committees for more detailed policy and fiscal review.

The committee adjourned after completing roll calls and leaving several votes open for absent members.