California's SB 942 became operative Aug 2, 2026, requiring large generative-AI providers (over 1 million monthly users) to offer a free AI-detection tool and attach both visible and embedded (latent) disclosures to AI-generated content. It complements AB 2013, effective Jan 1, 2026, which forces GenAI developers to publish 12 categories of training-data documentation.
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California's AI Transparency Act (SB 942) takes effect Aug 2, 2026
Why this matters for founders
If your product generates images, text or audio at scale for California users, add content provenance labels and a detection tool now; smaller startups sit under the 1M-user threshold but should track it as they grow.
Source: TrustArc
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