Individual rights.

Senator Padilla's artificial intelligence legislation outlines a comprehensive framework of individual rights and protections as AI technologies become increasingly embedded in daily life across California. The bill would require providers of generative AI systems to offer free detection tools that reveal system provenance data, while establishing new guardrails around transparency, fairness, and human oversight.

Under the proposed measure, entities using AI systems to make decisions affecting California residents would need to provide clear explanations of their operational logic, data usage, and intended outcomes. The bill mandates that AI systems adhere to strict data privacy standards, including obtaining explicit consent before using personal information and implementing data anonymization where feasible. Regular audits would be required to identify potential biases, particularly regarding protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability status, and religion.

For high-stakes decisions in sectors like employment, healthcare, housing, education, and criminal justice, the legislation would establish a right to human review. Entities deploying AI technologies would bear liability for system-caused harms, with affected individuals gaining access to appeal mechanisms and redress processes. The measure builds upon existing protections in the California Consumer Privacy Act while creating new obligations specific to AI deployment.

The bill's findings emphasize the dual imperatives of fostering AI innovation while protecting against potential harms through transparency requirements, anti-discrimination provisions, and accountability measures. Implementation would occur through existing regulatory frameworks, as the legislation requires no new appropriations or fiscal commitments.