California Gov. Newsom signs SB 574 regulating lawyers' use of generative AI

Law firm Holland & Knight reports that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 574 on September 30, 2026, making California one of the first states to regulate lawyers' use of generative AI explicitly. The rules apply from January 1, 2027, and set out attorneys' professional accountability duties when they work with AI tools.

The alert explains that the measure adds Section 6068.1 to the Business and Professions Code, which keeps the duties of competence and diligence and forbids a lawyer from handing the practice of law over to generative AI. The statute does not list permitted tasks or define the key terms, so the firm suggests that AI may assist with research, drafting and document review while attorneys stay responsible for legal judgment. The section also forbids putting confidential, nonpublic or personally identifying details into a generative AI tool unless only the attorney and authorised persons bound by confidentiality can reach it, which may rule out some public consumer tools.

SB 574 further requires reasonable steps to verify AI outputs, including case and statutory citations, and to correct errors. A change to Section 128.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure also bars any California court filing from containing a citation the responsible attorney has not personally verified, whether the source is AI or another person. Violations fall under the sanctions framework, and a firm shares responsibility for its lawyers. Attorneys using generative AI must disclose that use to the court on documents submitted, though the form and trigger are unspecified. Before January 1, 2027, the firm advises lawyers to review their AI systems, define permitted inputs, set verification protocols and decide how to make disclosures.