WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 3 REQUIREMENT TYPES
How Is This Bill Enforced
Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.
(a)–(f) 22625. As used in this chapter: (a) "Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"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.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(a)" 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. (b) "ComplaintComplaint"Complaint" means any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction relating to an operator's compliance with this chapter, including the inability to connect with a human representative when requested.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(b)" means any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction relating to an operatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f)'s compliance with this chapter, including the inability to connect with a human representative when requested. (c) "Customer service agentCustomer service agent"Customer service agent" means a natural person who, as an employee, contractor, or representative of the operator who provides either of the following: (1) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services. (2) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(c)" means a natural person who, as an employee, contractor, or representative of the operatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f) who provides either of the following: (1) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services. (2) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services. (d) "Customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d)" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"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.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(a) system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services. (e) "Extraordinary or emergency situationsExtraordinary or emergency situations"Extraordinary or emergency situations" mean conditions posing an imminent threat to public safety, including severe weather, wildfire risk, statewide or local grid emergencies, widespread information technology or telecom outages, and any deenergization conducted pursuant to the California Public Utilities Commission's authority under Section 451 and subdivision (a) of Section 399.2 of the Public Utilities Code, such as Public Safety Power Shutoff events.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(e)" mean conditions posing an imminent threat to public safety, including severe weather, wildfire risk, statewide or local grid emergencies, widespread information technology or telecom outages, and any deenergization conducted pursuant to the California Public Utilities Commission's authority under Section 451 and subdivision (a) of Section 399.2 of the Public Utilities Code, such as Public Safety Power Shutoff events. (f) "OperatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f)" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d) available to a person in the state.
Section 22625 establishes the defined terms for the chapter. The key scoping term is Operator, which limits coverage to entities with more than $500 million in gross annual revenue nationally that make a customer service chatbot available to persons in California — effectively targeting large national businesses. The Customer service chatbot definition is notably broad, covering both traditional AI chat interfaces used for customer service and stand-alone consumer electronic devices functioning as voice-activated virtual assistants (e.g., smart speakers) that service customers relating to sales or delivery of goods and services.
(a) 1 An operator of a large private business shall not represent that any artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"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.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(a), automated customer service system, or customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d) is a human.
(b)–(c) 2 An operatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f) that makes a customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d) available to a person in this state shall provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d) is artificially generated and not human if a reasonable person interacting with the customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d) would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human. (c) The disclosure required by subdivision (b) shall do all the following: (1) Inform the person that they are interacting with a customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d), artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"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.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(a) system, or similar automated system, and that the system is not a human being. (2) For audio-only or voice-based interfaces, be provided in an audible form and repeated upon the person's request. (3) Be readily accessible throughout the customer interaction. (4) Be presented in plain language that is understandable to an ordinary consumer.
Section 22626 establishes two distinct disclosure-related obligations. Subdivision (a) is a flat prohibition: operators of large private businesses may not represent that any AI, automated customer service system, or customer service chatbot is a human. Subdivision (b) imposes an affirmative disclosure duty triggered by a reasonable-person standard — if a reasonable person interacting with the chatbot would be misled into believing they are speaking with a human, the operator must provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the chatbot is artificially generated and not human.
Subdivision (c) specifies the form of the disclosure required by (b): it must inform the person they are interacting with a chatbot or AI system, be provided in audible form for voice interfaces and repeated on request, remain accessible throughout the interaction, and use plain language understandable to an ordinary consumer.
(a) 3 During the business hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, an operator of a large private business who provide goods and services to consumers in California shall provide consumers with human customer service support and communications. During these times, an operatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f) shall connect a person interacting with a customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d), or automated customer support system, to a customer service agentCustomer service agent"Customer service agent" means a natural person who, as an employee, contractor, or representative of the operator who provides either of the following: (1) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services. (2) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale and delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(c) within five minutes after a request for human customer service is made.
(b) 4 For telephonic customer service platforms, the business shall ensure all of the following: (1) That a customer call be answered quickly and, after the call is answered, that a customer is not placed on hold for more than 5 minutes at any point after the call is answered, and that cumulative hold times for a call not exceed more than 10 minutes total. (2) If a call is answered by a customer service chatbotCustomer service chatbot"Customer service chatbot" means either of the following: (1) An artificial intelligence system with a natural language interface that provides adaptive, human-like responses to user inputs and is used by an entity solely for any of the following purposes: (A) Direct customer service, including service to prospective and existing customers, relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (B) Direct customer support, including technical assistance functions relating to the sale or delivery of goods or services. (2) A stand-alone consumer electronic device that functions as a speaker and voice command interface, acts as a voice-activated virtual assistant, and sustains a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs to service customers relating to the sale or delivery of goods and services.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(d), the operator of the telephonic platform shall provide human assistance within five minutes after the call is made.
(c) 5 For online customer service platforms, the business shall ensure that a customer is given option to request customer service assistance from a human being and, upon that request, the operator of the online platform shall provide human assistance within five minutes after the request is made.
(d) 6 OperatorsOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f) who provide goods and services to consumers in California through online platforms shall offer a telephonic customer service platform and post their telephonic customer service phone number conspicuously on their website.
Section 22627 is the bill's most operationally significant provision. It requires operators of large private businesses to make human customer service support available during defined business hours (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily) and to connect consumers to a human customer service agent within five minutes of a request. This is a mandated human-escalation right — consumers interacting with a chatbot or automated system have the right to be transferred to a human within a defined time window.
Subdivisions (b) and (c) impose channel-specific requirements. For telephonic platforms, individual holds may not exceed 5 minutes and cumulative hold time may not exceed 10 minutes; if a call is answered by a chatbot, human assistance must be provided within 5 minutes. For online platforms, consumers must be given an option to request human assistance and receive it within 5 minutes. Subdivision (d) requires online operators to also offer a telephonic platform and post the phone number conspicuously on their website.
(a)–(c) An action to enforce this chapter may be brought by a district attorney or the Attorney General. (b) An entity that has engaged in a pattern or practice of violating this chapter shall be liable for a civil penalty not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation. (c) This chapter does not establish a private right of action.
(d) The Attorney General may adopt regulations, consistent with this chapter, to further its purposes and to provide additional guidance regarding compliance, including, but not limited to, guidance on the form and content of disclosures and reasonable mechanisms for requesting human assistance.
(e) This chapter shall not be actionable or enforceable during extraordinary or emergency situationsExtraordinary or emergency situations"Extraordinary or emergency situations" mean conditions posing an imminent threat to public safety, including severe weather, wildfire risk, statewide or local grid emergencies, widespread information technology or telecom outages, and any deenergization conducted pursuant to the California Public Utilities Commission's authority under Section 451 and subdivision (a) of Section 399.2 of the Public Utilities Code, such as Public Safety Power Shutoff events.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(e).
Section 22628 establishes the enforcement framework. Enforcement is limited to the Attorney General and district attorneys — there is no private right of action. The penalty provision requires a showing of a pattern or practice of violations before the $10,000 per-violation civil penalty applies, setting a higher enforcement threshold than a per-incident trigger. The Attorney General is authorized to adopt implementing regulations, including guidance on disclosure form and content and mechanisms for requesting human assistance. Subdivision (e) provides a blanket waiver of all chapter requirements during extraordinary or emergency situations as defined in Section 22625(e).
The duties, remedies, and obligations imposed by this chapter are cumulative to the duties, remedies, or obligations imposed under other law and shall not be construed to relieve an operatorOperator"Operator" means an entity with more than five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in gross annual revenue nationally that makes a customer service chatbot available to a person in the state.Bus. & Prof. Code § 22625(f) from any duties, remedies, or obligations imposed under any other law.
Section 22629 is a standard savings clause providing that the chapter's duties, remedies, and obligations are cumulative to those imposed under other law. This means the bill supplements rather than replaces existing consumer protection obligations, and compliance with this chapter does not relieve an operator from obligations under other applicable statutes.