AB 489: Health care professions: deceptive terms or letters: artificial intelligence.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law establishes various healing arts boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs that license and regulate various healing arts licensees. Existing laws, including, among others, the Medical Practice Act and the Dental Practice Act, make it a crime for a person who is not licensed as a specified health care professional to use certain words, letters, and phrases or any other terms that imply that they are authorized to practice that profession.

Existing law requires, with certain exemptions, a health facility, clinic, physician’s office, or office of a group practice that uses generative artificial intelligence, as defined, to generate written or verbal patient communications pertaining to patient clinical information, as defined, to ensure that those communications include both (1) a disclaimer that indicates to the patient that a communication was generated by generative artificial intelligence, as specified, and (2) clear instructions describing how a patient may contact a human health care provider, employee, or other appropriate person. Existing law provides that a violation of these provisions by a physician shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as appropriate.

This bill would make provisions of law that prohibit the use of specified terms, letters, or phrases to falsely indicate or imply possession of a license or certificate to practice a health care profession, as defined, enforceable against an entity who develops or deploys artificial intelligence (AI) or generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology that uses one or more of those terms, letters, or phrases in its advertising or functionality. The bill would prohibit the use by AI or GenAI technology of certain terms, letters, or phrases that indicate or imply that the advice, care, reports, or assessments being provided through AI or GenAI is being provided by a natural person with the appropriated health care license or certificate.

This bill would make a violation of these provisions subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate health care profession board, and would make each use of a prohibited term, letter, or phrase punishable as a separate violation.

By expanding the scope of existing crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 9

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. October 11, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 615, Statutes of 2025.
2. October 11, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 15, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
4. September 8, 2025Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3026.).
5. September 4, 2025In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
6. September 4, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2521.).
7. September 2, 2025Ordered to special consent calendar.
8. August 29, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
9. August 29, 2025From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
10. August 18, 2025In committee: Referred to suspense file.
11. July 16, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
12. July 8, 2025From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.