California released a statewide report on October 13, 2026, summarizing what residents want from artificial intelligence policy. It is based on the first statewide public deliberation run through Engaged California, the state’s digital democracy platform. The clearest message from participants is that Californians want a say in how AI is built, used, and regulated.
Key Takeaways
- The report draws on Engaged California’s first statewide use, which opened to all residents in May 2026 and focused on AI policy.
- The three themes with the strongest support were holding AI companies accountable for harm, protecting people and the environment from AI’s resource demands, and setting rules for where and how AI can be used safely.
- Participants’ views ranged from calls for data center transparency and worker protections to warnings against overregulating the industry.
- Engaged California began as a pilot after the Los Angeles fires, where resident input led to 19 recommendations for government action.
- The program is run by the Government Operations Agency and the Office of Data and Innovation in partnership with Carnegie California.
- The recommendations will help guide state AI policy, which already includes SB 53, SB 813, and AB 1405.
Engaged California Puts Residents Into the AI Policy Process
AI policy is usually shaped by lawmakers, regulators, technology companies, and advocacy groups. Engaged California adds another source of input: residents taking part in structured online discussions. The format is designed to encourage respectful exchanges where participants respond to each other’s views, rather than a simple survey or comment box.
Office of Data and Innovation Director Jeffery Marino described the platform as the country’s first deliberative democracy platform at the state level and said it gives residents a direct role in policies that affect their lives. The report is the first test of whether that approach can produce useful guidance on a complex, fast-moving technology issue.
The timing reflects how quickly AI has become a statewide concern. California is home to many of the companies building frontier AI models, but the effects reach far beyond Silicon Valley, affecting farmworkers in the Central Valley, students across the state, and Southern California communities weighing data center proposals.
Three Priorities Received the Strongest Support
The first priority was holding AI companies accountable for the harm their systems cause. That reflects a common public concern that the costs of AI failures, from biased decisions to misinformation, often fall on individuals rather than on the companies that built the tools.
The second was protecting people and the environment from AI’s resource needs. The energy and water used by data centers have become a local issue in California, and participants wanted transparency about how those facilities are built and operated. One participant suggested that government transparency about data center construction and implementation “would be a helpful policy.”
The third was setting clear rules for where and how AI can be used safely. Rather than calling for a ban, many participants focused on boundaries for specific settings, such as testing models for bias before public release.
Participants Disagreed About How Far Regulation Should Go
The report does not present a single public view. Some participants pushed for strong worker protections and more public research into AI’s effects on critical thinking and young people. Others warned against regulating too heavily, a concern often raised in a state whose economy depends heavily on technology.
That range of views makes the report more useful to policymakers. A summary showing only agreement would be easy to dismiss. One that records real disagreement gives lawmakers a picture of the tradeoffs residents are weighing.
Transparency was a common thread even among people who disagreed. Several participants wanted AI companies to open their systems to outside study and peer-reviewed research. That builds on the state’s push for developers to disclose how their AI systems are trained.
The Report Adds to an Expanding Set of State AI Laws
The recommendations come as California’s AI rules grow quickly. SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, took effect in 2026. It requires frontier developers to publish safety frameworks, report certain critical safety incidents, and protect whistleblowers.
This year, SB 813 created a framework for certifying independent organizations that can assess AI systems for safety and risk without ties to AI companies. AB 1405 created a state registry for AI auditors, with standards for independence and transparency. California has also passed rules on companion chatbots used by children, AI-generated deepfakes, and how data centers pay for grid upgrades and disclose water use.
Many of these laws overlap with residents’ top priorities. Accountability, resource protection, and safe-use rules all relate to measures already in place, so the report will likely be read as a guide for where to tighten or expand existing laws rather than a call for an entirely new approach.
Universities and Civic Groups Helped Design the Program
Engaged California was developed with Carnegie California, the West Coast program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Design partners and advisors include Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab, UC Berkeley, Harvard’s Center for Internet and Society, the Berggruen Institute, the American Public Trust, the San Francisco Foundation, Project Liberty Institute, and the Kapor Center.
Those partners give the program credibility as a structured civic exercise. The larger question is whether resident input from the platform will directly shape future bills and regulations, or whether it will remain mainly advisory.
FAQs
What is Engaged California?
Engaged California is the state’s digital democracy platform. It lets residents take part in structured online discussions that inform state policy, and it opened statewide for AI policy input in May 2026.
What did Californians say about AI in the report?
The three most-supported themes were holding AI companies accountable for harm, protecting people and the environment from AI’s resource demands, and setting rules for safe AI use.
How will the Engaged California AI report be used?
The state says the recommendations will help guide AI policy decisions and add to California’s existing AI laws.
Who runs Engaged California?
The Government Operations Agency and the California Office of Data and Innovation run the program in partnership with Carnegie California, with advisors from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and other institutions.
What AI laws does California already have?
California’s AI laws include SB 53 on frontier AI safety, SB 813 on independent AI verification, AB 1405 on AI auditor standards, and rules on children’s chatbots, deepfakes, and data centers.
