California AI Defenses in Litigation (AB 316)
Effective date
Penalty
Modifies available defenses in civil litigation. No standalone penalties.
Obligations mapped
Tracked
Overview
Prohibits defendants in civil actions from asserting that AI acted autonomously as a defense for harm caused through development, modification, or use of AI. Other affirmative defenses including causation and foreseeability remain available.
This is an AI-specific state law.
See if this regulation applies to your company with the free exposure scan.
Who this applies to
This regulation applies to the following roles:
- Developers of covered AI systems
- Deployers and users of covered AI systems
- Organizations operating in California
This regulation applies to both companies that build AI products and companies that use AI tools from other vendors.
AB 316
AI categories covered
- General purpose AI
What this requires you to do
Detailed obligation packs are not yet mapped for this entry in XIRA. Obligation areas from the catalog are listed below.
What this requires you to do
Prohibited practices
Avoid conduct the statute bans, including harmful manipulation and intentional discrimination.
Regulation summaries are simplified for readability and may not capture every nuance of the underlying statute. Verify important details against primary sources linked on this page.
Enforcement and penalties
Modifies available defenses in civil litigation. No standalone penalties.
Penalty amounts are based on statutory text and may be subject to adjustment, judicial interpretation, or enforcement discretion.
Legislative history
effective
Takes effect
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California AI regulation guide lists every tracked rule for this jurisdiction with timelines and obligation tallies.
Regulation summaries are simplified for readability and may not capture every nuance of the underlying statute. Verify important details against primary sources linked on this page.