California requires disclosure of AI-generated performers in ads
SB 1050 covers video and audio ads with AI-generated performers and requires non-compliant ads to be withdrawn; signed the same week as two other AI bills.
- Government & policy
- Minor
Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1050, requiring explicit disclosure when a video or audio advertisement uses an AI-generated performer to sell a product or service. Advertisements found not to carry the required disclosure must be withdrawn from continued use. Newsom’s office framed the bill as a worker-protection measure, with the governor stating that “Californians deserve to know when the person selling them something isn’t a person at all.”
The bill was the third piece of AI-related legislation Newsom signed within the month, following SB 813 and AB 1405, which set up a registry and independence standards for third-party AI auditors, and a package of child-safety laws restricting companion chatbots and addictive social-media features for minors signed the previous week. Unlike the auditor bills, which drew backing from OpenAI and Anthropic, SB 1050 targets advertising practice rather than model behaviour, adding synthetic-performer disclosure to the state’s growing list of AI-specific transparency requirements.