California Passes 26 AI Bills. Now Newsom Must Choose

California's Legislature ended its 2026 session by sending Governor Gavin Newsom one of the broadest packages of technology rules any state has produced. In its final week lawmakers passed 26 bills covering artificial intelligence and social media, and Newsom now has until the end of the month to decide which become law.

The list is wide, and much of it is aimed at protecting minors. According to NBC News, several bills target addictive design for users under 16, including autoplaying video, and tighten age verification and advertising rules for younger users. Others would let families hold social media platforms and the makers of AI chatbots financially liable when they fail to protect children from harm.

From the classroom to the checkout

The reach of the package is what stands out. One bill would ban employers from using AI surveillance that reads neural data to infer an employee's emotional state. Another would stop retailers from using certain kinds of personal "surveillance pricing," where the price you see is shaped by data collected about you. A measure aimed at universities would require that instructors in the California State University system be human, though they could still use AI as a tool in their teaching.

Mental health drew particular attention. As Pluribus News reported, several bills would reserve therapy for licensed professionals and bar chatbots from presenting themselves as a substitute for one. That builds on ground California has already covered this year, including the companion-chatbot disclosure rules we wrote about in The States Are Writing the Rules for AI Chatbots.

The governor's dilemma

Passing the bills is only half the story. Newsom has a track record of signing some high-profile tech measures while vetoing others he sees as too broad or likely to invite lawsuits, and industry groups are already lobbying hard on both sides. He has vetoed sweeping AI bills before, only to sign narrower versions later, so the shape of what survives matters as much as the headline count.

If even a portion of the 26 becomes law, California would hold some of the strongest AI and social media protections in the country, especially for children. The state has often set the direction that others follow, and companies tend to build to California's rules rather than maintain a separate, looser product elsewhere. What Newsom signs in the next few weeks will not stay inside California for long.