False advertising: synthetic performers.
SB 1050
California Bills
20250SB__105097AMD INTRODUCED 2026-02-12 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-04-23 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-06-11 2025 SB AMD Introduced by Senator Ashby LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Ashby
An act to add
Article 10 (commencing with
Section 17610) to
Chapter of Part of Division of the Business and Professions Code, relating to consumer protection. consumer protection False advertising: synthetic performers. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person or a firm, corporation, or association, or any employee thereof, to engage in false or misleading advertising practices. Existing law makes various unfair competition practices unlawful, including any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising.
This bill would make it an unlawful advertising practice for a person to create and cause to be published in an advertising medium an advertisement that prominently includes a synthetic performer without a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the advertisement includes a synthetic performer.
The bill would prohibit an advertising medium from transmitting, distributing, displaying, airing, or otherwise making available an advertisement containing a synthetic performer if a court of competent jurisdiction has issued an order finding that the advertisement violates the bill’s provisions or enjoining the creator from publishing the advertisement, and the advertising medium is served with the order, as specified. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. MAJORITY NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. (
a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(1) Consumers have a substantial interest in knowing when an advertisement uses a synthetic performer in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as a human performance.
(2) Requiring a factual disclosure regarding the use of a synthetic performer is necessary to prevent deceptive or misleading advertising practices. (
b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the disclosure required by this act is a purely factual commercial disclosure consistent with constitutional protections for commercial speech.
SEC.
Article 10 (commencing with
Section 17610) is added to
Chapter of Part of Division of the Business and Professions Code , to read: 10. Synthetic Performers 17610. (
a) For purposes of this section, the following
definitions apply: (1) “Advertisement” means any audio, video, or audiovisual message, statement, audiovisual recording, digital communication, or other representation disseminated in any manner or by any means, including through online platforms, that is intended to induce, or that is reasonably expected to induce, the purchase of goods or services, as described in
Section 17500. (2) (A) “Advertising medium” means any broadcast station, cable operator, multichannel video programming distributor, online platform, streaming service, digital advertising network, publisher, or other person or entity that distributes, displays, transmits, or makes available an audio or audiovisual advertisement to consumers in this state. (B) “Advertising medium” does not include a person or entity that is not capable of removing, disabling access to, or ceasing further dissemination of, an advertisement. (3) “Clear and conspicuous disclosure” means a disclosure that is difficult to miss, easily understandable, and presented in a manner that a reasonable consumer would notice, read, and comprehend, taking into account the medium, format, and context in which the advertisement appears. (4) “Generative artificial intelligence” means an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, such as text, images, video, and audio, that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data. (4)</xhtml:p>"?> (5) “Synthetic performer” means a digital figure, voice, or representation created in whole or in part using generative artificial intelligence that creates the realistic impression of the audio, audiovisual, or visual performance of a human performer who is not recognizable as any identifiable natural person. (
b) It is unlawful for any person to create and cause to be published in an advertising medium an advertisement that prominently includes a synthetic performer without a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the advertisement includes a synthetic performer. (
c) A disclosure required by this
section shall use wording substantially similar to “this performance features a synthetic performer” or “no human performer is depicted. ” (1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Appear in close proximity to the synthetic performer.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Be presented in a manner and duration sufficient for a reasonable consumer to understand that the performer is not a real human being.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Use wording substantially similar to “this performance features a synthetic digital performer,” or “no human performer is depicted.”</xhtml:p>"?> (
d) Nothing in this
section shall be construed to do any of the following:
(1) Restrict or prohibit the creation, distribution, or exhibition of synthetic content.
(2) Regulate the expressive or informational content of an advertisement, except to require the factual disclosure described in subdivision (b).
(3) Affect or limit any rights or remedies available under
Section or or any other law concerning deceptive, unfair, or misleading business practices.
(4) Apply to advertisements for expressive works, including, but not limited to, motion pictures, television programs, streaming content, documentaries, video games, or other similar audio or audiovisual works, provided that the use of a synthetic performer in the advertisement or promotional material is consistent with its use in the expressive work.
(5) Apply to an advertisement in which the use of the generative artificial intelligence solely involves the language translation of a human performer. (e)
(1) An advertising medium shall not transmit, distribute, display, air, or otherwise make available an advertisement containing a synthetic performer if both of the following conditions are met: (
A) A court of competent jurisdiction has issued an order finding that the advertisement violates this
chapter or enjoining the creator from publishing the advertisement, including, but not limited to, an injunction issued under
Section of the Code of Civil Procedure. (
B) The advertising medium is served with the order and information reasonably sufficient to identify the advertisement.
(2) Upon receipt of an order described in subparagraph (
A) of paragraph (1), the advertising medium shall, as soon as commercially reasonable and technically feasible, do both of the following: (
A) Remove, disable access to, or cease further dissemination of the advertisement on the advertising medium in this state. (
B) Cease accepting payment for further dissemination of the advertisement. (
f) A violation of this
section constitutes a violation of
Section and may be enforced pursuant to
Chapter 5 (commencing with
Section 17200) of
Part 2. (g)
(1) Subdivision (
b) of this
section shall not apply to a person who creates or causes to be created an advertisement subject to subdivision (
b) of
Section 651.4, as added by Senate Bill of the 2025–26 Regular Session. However, subdivision (
e) of this
section applies to an advertising medium that transmits, distributes, displays, airs, or otherwise makes available an advertisement subject to subdivision (
b) of
Section 651.4.
(2) This subdivision shall only become operative if Senate Bill of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2027, and that bill adds
Section 651.4 to the Business and Professions Code. (g)</xhtml:p>"?> (
h) The requirements of this
section are severable. If any provision or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section of
Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of