California AB 2885 (one statewide statutory definition of 'AI')
California Uniform Definition of Artificial Intelligence (AB 2885)
California · AB 2885, Stats. 2024 (definition codified at Cal. Gov. Code 11546.45.5)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- January 1, 2025
- Applies to
- Not applicable; no compliance obligations are imposed by the definition itself.
- Enforced by
- None (definitional statute).
This is a definitional clean-up bill rather than a regulatory one. It establishes a single, consistent statutory meaning of artificial intelligence and applies that uniform definition across several parts of California law, so different statutes stop using inconsistent definitions. On its own it imposes no obligations or penalties.
Who is protected: Not applicable; the measure is definitional.
Legal detail
AB 2885 harmonizes the statutory definition of 'artificial intelligence' across multiple California codes, anchoring it to Cal. Gov. Code 11546.45.5: an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from its input how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | California |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | September 28, 2024 |
| Citation | AB 2885, Stats. 2024 (definition codified at Cal. Gov. Code 11546.45.5) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | consumer protection |
| Bill text | California AB 2885 (2023-2024): Artificial intelligence |
More AI rules in California
- CA EO N-6-26 (AI Workforce) · In effect
- California AB 489 (AI healthcare chatbot misrepresentation ban) · In effect
- X.AI v. Bonta (AB 2013 training-data disclosure) · Blocked / in litigation
- CA SB 1168 — data center grid cost allocation · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- California SB 1119 Adam's Law, companion chatbots (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- California SB 867 AI chatbot toy moratorium (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
Related consumer protection rules elsewhere
- Missouri AI Therapy Chatbot Ban (SB 1019) · In effect
- Vermont Data Broker Law (H.211) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- PA v. Character.AI (Fake Psychiatrist Chatbot) · Blocked / in litigation
- NAACP v. xAI (Colossus 2 Air Pollution) · Blocked / in litigation
- RI Therapy Chatbot Ban (2026) · In effect
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