Unanimous Bipartisan Support of Senator Aisha Wahab’s AI Policy Package Continues

Sacramento, CA — SB 926, Safeguarding Against Digitized Misrepresentation—authored by California Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Silicon Valley), Chair of Senate Public Safety Committee—expands existing law to ensure the intentional distribution of AI-generated photos—with the intent to harm the person whose face is in the photo—is a crime. SB 926 passed Public Safety with unanimous bipartisan support.

“Our laws need to keep up with technology,” says Senator Wahab. “The landscape of possibilities presented by artificial intelligence is changing rapidly. We must prioritize the rights of victims first, and protect women and children from new forms of violations and punish perpetrators for their actions.”

SB 933, AI Child Safety, passed Senate Public Safety last month with unanimous bipartisan support, and will ensure AI-generated imagery is appropriately covered in child pornography laws.

SB 981, Digital Identity Theft Act, will be heard in Senate Judiciary Committee next week and will prompt social media platforms to improve reporting mechanisms for removing material considered Digital Identity Theft.

Sensity AI stated in 2021 that up to 95% of online deepfake videos since 2018 were nonconsensual porn. Of those non-consensual videos, 90% are of women. Senator Wahab, when speaking about SB 926, stated that these AI-generated images can ruin an individual’s entire life leading to a lack of workplace promotions, mental health deterioration, shame, and social isolation.

SB 926 will now head to Senate Appropriations alongside SB 933.