California Gov. Gavin Newsom has released a new report from leading artificial intelligence academics and experts that offers a policy framework for state officials to consider when crafting new AI-related laws and regulations.
The report comes as President Donald Trump pushes his reconciliation spending bill which currently features a 10-year moratorium on state laws protecting against the misuse of AI. This provision, if it becomes Federal law, would impact many of California’s existing laws, including those that ban AI-generated child pornography, deepfake porn, and robocall scams against the elderly.
“California is the home of innovation and technology that is driving the nation’s economic growth – including the emerging AI industry. As Donald Trump chooses to take our nation back to the past by dismantling laws protecting public safety, California will continue to lead the way with smart and effective policymaking,” Gov. Newsom said in a June 17 press release.
“I thank the experts and academics who responded to my call for this important report to help ensure that, as we move forward to help nurture AI technology, we do so with the safety of Californians at the top of mind,” he added.
Gov. Newsom convened the group of AI academics and experts last September. Its final report – The California Report on Frontier AI Policy – lays out science-based guardrails aimed at steering AI deployment in a manner that is responsible, ethical, and safe.
The group incorporated robust public participation during the drafting process. The final report incorporates public feedback submitted following its March 2025 draft.
The report urges lawmakers to craft evidence-based policies, strike a balance between transparency and security, and allow regulation to keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI technologies.
“Carefully targeted policy in California can both recognize the importance of aligning standards across jurisdictions to reduce compliance burdens on developers and avoid a patchwork approach while fulfilling states’ fundamental obligation to their citizens to keep them safe,” the authors of the report wrote.
“Well-crafted policies can simultaneously fulfill this obligation to consumers, allow states to carefully tailor policies to the specific needs of their constituents, and maintain critical pathways for federal action that provide a comparable degree of protection to consumers,” they added. “In pursuing this balance between innovation and safety, California has a unique opportunity to productively shape the AI policy conversation and provide a blueprint for well-balanced policies beyond its borders.”
