California SB 942, as amended
The California AI Transparency Act, section by section
Who must mark AI-generated images, video and audio in California, what the mark must say, and when.
Bus. & Prof. Code, Chapter 25 (§ 22757 et seq.), as amended by AB 853, SB 1000 and AB 2713.
Am I covered?
The law, by topic
Each part of the Act on its own page, with the statute wording and common questions.
Who is covered
Anyone producing a generative AI system the public can use in California, whatever its size. The exemptions are narrow.
Who is covered → § 22757.3(a)The latent disclosure
The hidden label image, video and audio output must carry, field by field.
The five fields → § 22757.2, § 22757.3(b)Verification tool and licensees
The free tool anyone can use to check your content, and the 72-hour licensee clock.
Tool and licensees → AB 853, AB 2713Platforms, hosts and capture devices
Duties for large online platforms and GenAI hosting platforms from 2027, and capture device makers from 2028.
AB 853 duties → ComparisonSB 942 vs EU AI Act
The California and EU marking rules row by row: who, what, labels, detection, dates and penalties.
Side by side →Dates
Provider duties already apply. Platforms and hosts follow in 2027.
SB 942 signed and chapteredleginfo
AB 853 signed. Provider start moved from 1 Jan 2026 to 2 Aug 2026leginfo
Covered-provider duties operativeAB 853
SB 1000 (in force immediately) and AB 2713 signedleginfo
- Today
Oct 2026 Large online platform and GenAI hosting dutiesAB 853; AB 2713
Capture device manufacturer dutiesAB 853
Assistive-technology field added; that exemption and § 22757.4.1 endSB 1000
Penalties and enforcement
- Attorney General
- County counsel
- City attorney
A licensee's violation is treated separately.
Marking and detection technologies
Same fields for each, from each organisation's own materials. Not an endorsement.
SynthID
Google DeepMind
- Type
- Watermarking applied to Google generative model outputs; detection portal described by Google
- Modalities
- Image, audio, video, text
- Availability
- Within Google products; SynthID Text open source (2024)
Verda
Verda Inc.
- Type
- Imperceptible watermarking with a verification service; company states it writes C2PA manifests alongside the watermark
- Modalities
- Image, audio, video
- Availability
- Commercial; company states verification is free to the public
Adobe Content Authenticity
Adobe Inc.; C2PA co-founder
- Type
- C2PA Content Credentials plus an invisible watermark and fingerprint linking back to the credential, per company
- Modalities
- Image in public beta; video and audio planned per company
- Availability
- Free web app (public beta since April 2025)
Meta AudioSeal, Video Seal
Meta FAIR
- Type
- Neural watermarking with published papers
- Modalities
- Audio, video, image
- Availability
- Open source under repository licences
Updates
- SB 1000 and AB 2713 signed. SB 1000 takes effect immediately as an urgency statute and amends the covered-provider duties; AB 2713 amends the large online platform duties from 1 January 2027.Source: SB 1000 (Chapter 861) and AB 2713 (Chapter 856), Statutes of 2026
- Covered-provider duties under SB 942 become operative.Source: AB 853, chaptered text
- AB 853 signed. The operative date of the covered-provider duties moved from 1 January 2026 to 2 August 2026, and duties were added for large online platforms, GenAI hosting platforms and capture device manufacturers.Source: AB 853, chaptered text
About this site
Operated by Verda Inc., which offers one of the technologies profiled; its profile uses the same format as every other. No rankings or recommendations. Corrections from any profiled organisation are applied on receipt of a public source.