Defines "artificial intelligence" as a system influencing environments. Prohibits defendants from claiming AI autonomously caused harm in legal actions. Allows defendants to present other defenses, evidence of causation, foreseeability, and comparative fault of other parties.
Add Section 1714.46 to the Civil Code to define "artificial intelligence" as a machine-based system with autonomy varying capabilities that can generate outputs influencing environments.
Prohibit defendants in AI-related harm actions from asserting that the AI autonomously caused harm as a defense.
Allow defendants to present any other affirmative defenses, including evidence relevant to causation or foreseeability.
Permit defendants to introduce evidence concerning the comparative fault of other persons or entities.
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Key facts
🏛️ This document has been enacted by the State of California.
For authoritative text and metadata, visit the official source.
📜 This document's name is California AB 316 (Artificial intelligence: Defenses 2025).
AGORA also tracks this document under the name California AB 316 (AI: Defenses 2025).
Themes AI risks, applications, governance strategies, and other themes addressed in AGORA documents.
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THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 1714.46 is added to the Civil Code, to read:
1714.46. (a) “Artificial intelligence” means an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments.
Defines "artificial intelligence" as an autonomous system that generates outputs influencing environments.
Defines "artificial intelligence" as an autonomous system that generates outputs influencing environments.
(b) In an action against a defendant who developed, modified, or used artificial intelligence that is alleged to have caused a harm to the plaintiff, it shall not be a defense, and the defendant may not assert, that the artificial intelligence autonomously caused the harm to the plaintiff.
Prohibits defendants from claiming AI autonomously caused harm in AI-related legal actions.
Prohibits defendants from claiming AI autonomously caused harm in AI-related legal actions.
(c) This section does not limit or preclude a defendant from presenting either of the following:
(1) Any other affirmative defense, including evidence relevant to causation or foreseeability.
(2) Other evidence relevant to the comparative fault of any other person or entity.
Allows defendants to present other affirmative defenses and evidence relevant to causation, foreseeability, or comparative fault.
Allows defendants to present other affirmative defenses and evidence relevant to causation, foreseeability, or comparative fault.