CA AG Bonta AI legal advisory
CA AG Bonta — Legal Advisory on Applying California Consumer Protection, Civil Rights, and Privacy Laws to AI
CA · CA DOJ Legal Advisory (Jan. 13, 2025)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- January 13, 2025
- Applies to
- Businesses developing or deploying AI in California commerce
- Enforced by
- California Attorney General; private plaintiffs (UCL/CLRA)
California's Attorney General issued a legal advisory making clear that existing California consumer-protection, civil-rights, and privacy laws fully apply to AI — including the False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, CCPA, and FEHA. The advisory targets AI-washing, AI-driven discrimination, hallucination-driven misrepresentations, and AI scam impersonation.
Who is protected: California consumers and protected-class members affected by AI
Legal detail
CA DOJ Legal Advisory dated Jan. 13, 2025 from AG Rob Bonta: California's UCL (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200), FAL (§ 17500), CLRA (Civ. Code § 1750), FEHA, Unruh, and CCPA apply to AI; cites AB 2013, AB 2655, AB 2905, AB 2655, SB 942, SB 1120, and announces enforcement focus on AI deepfake scams, AI-washing, and discriminatory algorithms.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | CA |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | January 13, 2025 |
| Citation | CA DOJ Legal Advisory (Jan. 13, 2025) |
| Private right of action | Yes, individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Civil penalties under California UDAP statutes; statutory damages under CLRA; CCPA penalties |
| Topics | consumer protection · automated decision-making · consumer data privacy · deepfakes |
| Agency page | California Attorney General Legal Advisory — Application of Existing California Laws to AI |
More AI rules in CA
- CA AB 2148 no-AI school employees (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- CA AG Bonta · In effect
- CA Bar GenAI Guidance · In effect
- CA CPPA ADMT Regs · In effect
- CPPA Honda ADMT settlement · In effect
- CA AB 1008 (CCPA + AI) · 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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