California legislative session to be dominated by AI regulations and state's struggling budget

AI technology is quickly creeping into every industry, prompting new questions about whether online content comes from a human or a computer. California lawmakers return to work on Wednesday for the start of an election-year legislative session dominated by decisions on artificial intelligence and the state's struggling budget. The budget is a big issue every year in California, which is the nation's most populous state and has an economy larger than that of all but four countries. But this year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will have to figure out how to cover an estimated $68 billion deficit -- a shortfall that is larger than the entire operating budgets of many states. And with California companies at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom, a number of state lawmakers are eyeing new rules to govern the use of the technology before it can dominate daily life -- much like social media has.