California builds new AI accountability system as artificial intelligence spreads into everyday life

Sacramento, California – California is adding another layer of oversight to artificial intelligence, this time putting independent auditors at the center of the state’s effort to keep rapidly developing AI systems accountable.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two new bills establishing rules for outside organizations that evaluate AI, expanding a regulatory framework California has been building since 2023. The measures come as AI moves deeper into government services, workplaces, cybersecurity and other parts of daily life.

Senate Bill 813, authored by Sen. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, creates what the governor’s office described as a first-in-the-nation framework for independent verification organizations. Those groups will be able to evaluate AI systems and models for compliance with California law.

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Assembly Bill 1405, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of Orinda, establishes a state registry for AI auditors and sets standards covering their independence, transparency and integrity.

Together, the laws are intended to create a stronger system for third-party testing and auditing as companies deploy increasingly powerful AI technology.

“The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public,” Newsom said.

California’s AI policy has expanded quickly over the past several years. Newsom issued an executive order in 2023 directing state agencies to examine AI risks while developing safeguards for government use of the technology.

In 2024, he signed a broader package addressing deepfakes, AI watermarking, workers and children. A year later, California enacted SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, requiring frontier AI developers to disclose safety frameworks and report certain serious safety incidents while providing protections for whistleblowers.

The state has continued adding protections in 2026. Newsom issued an executive order strengthening privacy and civil liberties requirements in state AI procurement, launched a Tech Fraud Task Force targeting AI-enabled fraud and, in August, announced an AI Cyber Defense Program within the California Cybersecurity Integration Center.

California has also used AI in government operations, including efforts to improve wildfire detection, road safety, housing permitting and access to public services.

Newsom said state action alone will not be enough as the technology grows more capable and widespread. He called for federal officials to establish national safeguards that protect the public while allowing responsible innovation to continue.

“The federal government must step forward with robust, national regulations that match the urgency of this moment,” Newsom said.