Bill > SB1159

This bill clarifies that artificial intelligence (AI) systems, autonomous agents, and digital or physical robots do not qualify as "persons," "members of the public," or similar terms under California's key government transparency, environmental, and administrative laws, such as the California Public Records Act and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These laws are designed to ensure human participation and transparency in government, and the legislation aims to prevent automated systems from overwhelming public agencies with mass, machine-generated requests or comments that simulate human engagement. While the bill prohibits knowingly using AI to falsely represent that a human interacted with a government agency, it explicitly allows individuals to use AI and assistive technologies to facilitate their own personal interactions with the government, provided the volume and frequency remain consistent with normal human participation.