Newsom releases public AI priorities report calling for company accountability

California promised residents a voice in AI policy. On October 13, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the resulting priorities report, with company accountability among its strongest themes. The findings give officials public input on how AI should be built, used and governed—but the announcement itself creates no new law or regulation.

A statewide forum for AI policy

The report draws on Engaged California, the state’s online public-engagement platform. Newsom opened its statewide AI effort to every California resident in May 2026. The state says the recommendations will help guide policy decisions.

The governor’s office described a central message running through the feedback: residents want involvement beyond deciding how they personally use AI. They also want a say in how companies develop the technology and how government oversees it.

Accountability reaches beyond model safety

According to the governor’s office, three themes appeared most often and received the strongest support:

• Hold AI companies accountable for harm they cause.
• Protect people and the environment from AI’s resource needs.
• Set rules for where and how AI can be used safely.

The participant comments make those broad categories more concrete. One called for government transparency around the building, construction and implementation of data centers. That concern addresses the infrastructure supporting AI, not simply the quality or safety of an answer produced by a model.

Another participant suggested requiring a model to pass bias testing before public release. The governor’s office also noted that some participants cautioned against overregulating industry. The feedback includes both calls for safeguards and concern about how far regulation should go.

From fire recovery to statewide AI input

Engaged California began with a pilot tied to recovery from the Los Angeles firestorms. The state says that effort sought input from thousands of local voices. Affected residents helped identify and prioritize recovery needs, producing 19 recommendations for government action. AI became the platform’s first statewide use.

The platform is designed to let residents share their views and discuss issues with others, giving government input to inform policy.

The Government Operations Agency and California Office of Data and Innovation partnered with Carnegie California to develop Engaged California and its discussion tools. Carnegie California is the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s West Coast office and program. The state also lists Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab, UC Berkeley and Harvard’s Center for Internet and Society among its design partners and advisers.