California's AI rules could change with the next governor

California's AI rules sit on a governor's-pen foundation: three executive orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom, not statutes, and a successor can reverse any of them on day one. The November general election between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton is a referendum on which direction that pen goes next.

Newsom signed the first order, EO N-12-23 on generative AI, in September 2023. He followed with a March 2026 order updating the State Digital Strategy, creating generative-AI certifications for companies, and issuing internal guidelines for state employees. The May 2026 order directs agencies and universities to study AI-driven workforce disruption and create AI training programs.

UCLA Law lecturer Alex Alben told the Daily Bruin that executive orders are useful as a blueprint but "limited in scope and enforceability" and that a change in governor can flip the policy direction. The next governor takes office in January 2027.

Hilton says California's early AI laws could slow innovation and would set guardrails protecting children, preventing fraud, and safeguarding intellectual property. Becerra wants to track AI's economic impact, expand AI literacy, and back multi-state AI regulation, with plans to use AI on homelessness and healthcare. Neither has pledged to fully repeal the existing orders.

Stanford's SIEPR reported 5.6% unemployment for new graduates in early 2026, up 1.6 percentage points from three years earlier, with AI-exposed entry-level work among the drivers. The executive orders try to address that workforce question, which the next governor will inherit.