Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, upon appropriation, would require the chancellors office to implement the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2028, and to select up to 10 community colleges to participate in the pilot program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on January 1, 2033.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, upon appropriation, would require the chancellors office to implement the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2028, and to select up to 10 community colleges to participate in the pilot program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on January 1, 2033.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, upon appropriation, would require the chancellors office to implement the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2028, and to select up to 10 community college districts colleges to participate in the pilot program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on January 1, 2033.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, upon appropriation, would require the chancellors office to implement the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2027, 2028, and to select up to 10 community college districts to participate in the pilot program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on January 1, 2033.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, upon appropriation, would additionally require the chancellors office to implement an Artificial Intelligence Upskilling Creatives the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2027, and to select up to 10 community college districts to participate in the pilot program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on an unspecified date. January 1, 2033.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the board to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate.

This bill, until an unspecified date, would establish a pilot program, to be administered by the chancellors office, for the purpose of addressing employment dislocations associated with artificial intelligence at the California Community Colleges and, on or before an unspecified date, require the chancellors office to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program.

This bill, upon appropriation, until an unspecified date, would additionally require the chancellors office to establish implement an Artificial Intelligence Upskilling Creatives Certificate Pilot Program, commencing on or before July 1, 2027, and to select up to 10 community college districts to participate in the pilot program, and, program, as specified. The bill would require the chancellors office, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. The bill would repeal this pilot program on an unspecified date.

Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, establishes the Dental Board of California to license and regulate the practice of dentistry, and establishes requirements for the admission to, and practice of, dentistry. Prior existing law required an applicant for licensure to have taken and received a passing score on either a portfolio examination of the applicants competence to enter the practice of dentistry or a clinical and written examination administered by the Western Regional Examining Board.

Existing law required the board to review the portfolio examination to ensure the portfolio examination met specified requirements, required the board to report the result of that review to the Legislature, as specified, and made those provisions inoperative on December 1, 2020.

This bill would repeal those inoperative provisions.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 2504

Author:(Bauer-Kahan)

As Amended Ver:June 30, 2026

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program with the goal of supporting workers in the state's creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence (AI) by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges (CCC) system.

Senate Amendments

1. Specifies that the pilot program will include 10 community colleges, as opposed to community college districts.
2. Specifies that CCCCO will implement the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program on or before July 1, 2028.

COMMENTS

Employment impacts of AI. The World Economic Forum released a white paper, Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030, in January of 2026. The white paper noted that AI has moved from experimentation to workflow integration, with the share of businesses using AI in at least one function increasing from 55% in 2022 to 88% in the latest estimates. According to the paper, "the adoption of these technologies promises systemic gains in productivity, but also raises critical questions about economic inclusion, values, trust and resilience."

According to the World Economic Forum's annual survey of over 10,000 executives globally, about 54% of respondents expect AI to displace existing jobs, and 24% said AI will drive the creation of new jobs. More than four in 10 executives surveyed expect AI to increase profit margins across businesses, and only slightly less said AI will increase accessibility (37%) and affordability (30%) of goods and services. Notably, only 12% expect AI to have a positive impact on wages, while 24% predict an increase in industry concentration.

The white paper posits four scenarios for the future of jobs in 2030:

1. Scenario 1: Supercharged Progress - AI advances rapidly, transforming industries, boosting productivity, and enabling widespread innovation. Many traditional jobs disappear, but new roles emerge quickly as people manage and collaborate with intelligent systems. However, governance, ethics, and social protections struggle to keep pace with the speed of change.
2. Scenario 2: The Age of Displacement - AI development outstrips the workforce's ability to adapt, leading to rapid automation and widespread job loss. While productivity rises, social systems lag behind, causing unemployment, declining consumer confidence, and instability. Economies advance technologically but become increasingly fractured and unequal.
3. Scenario 3: Co-Pilot Economy - AI progresses steadily, with a focus on augmenting human work rather than replacing it. Human–AI collaboration becomes the norm, driving gradual but meaningful transformation across industries. Early investments in skills, infrastructure, and governance allow some economies to adapt and benefit more effectively.
4. Scenario 4: Stalled Progress - AI advances but is limited by a lack of workforce skills, resulting in uneven productivity gains. Benefits concentrate in regions and firms with expertise, while others fall behind, deepening inequality. Automation displaces routine jobs, demand rises for skilled trades, and overall economic growth remains constrained.

Community college work in AI: In September 2023, the Chancellor of the CCC released Vision 2030: A Roadmap for California Community Colleges, which included a description on the importance of engaging with AI in Strategic Direction 3, The Future of Learning. The Vision 2030 roadmap focuses on integrating AI and Generative AI to elevate teaching and learning. Key areas of investment include professional development, data infrastructure, evaluation and partnership capacity and demonstration projects.

In July of 2024, the Chancellor of the CCC released a report to the CCC Board of Governors titled Generative AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning The report includes a set of recommended actions. Chancellor Christian asserts that CCC must double down in "deepening human qualities of cooperation, ethical decision making, and emotional intelligence in a world of rapidly developing machine learning."

The report specifically calls for a humans-centered approach, which includes:

1. Students, faculty, staff and administrators should be able to opt out, where appropriate, and have access to a person who can quickly consider and remedy problems they encounter. Measures should also be taken to ensure that there are humans in the loop when capabilities are designed, tested and used to achieve successful outcomes.
2. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should have equitable access to tools, training and solutions that minimize bias and improve outcomes.
3. Measures should be taken to empower students, faculty, staff, and administrators to have agency over how data about them is collected and used and set parameters that shield them from abusive data practices via built-in protections.
4. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should not face discrimination by algorithms and systems should be designed and used in an equitable way.
5. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should know that an automated system is being used and understand how and why it contributes to outcomes that impact them.
6. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should be protected from unsafe or ineffective systems.

The CCC has established the Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity to represent a strategic approach to supporting the CCC's Vision 2030, including leading in innovation, harnessing the power of generative AI, public and private technology partnerships, and transforming the CCC's ability to serve students as they move into an AI- powered workforce.

According to the Author

According to the author, "AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California's creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region's creative workforce."

The author continues, noting that "a January 2024 survey by CVL Economics projected that 203,800 entertainment jobs would likely be disrupted in the United States by 2026, including 62,000 in California, with sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions at the greatest risk of displacement. As AI continues to reshape the landscape, the California Legislature has an opportunity to support the creatives who built their careers in these fields."

Arguments in Support

William Morris Endeavor (WME) wrote in support, noting that "WME is a global talent agency that brings over 125 years of experience representing clients spanning film, television, music, sports, theater, books, comedy, fashion, brands, digital, and the full entertainment ecosystem…the history of the media business is a history of realignment that goes back to the transition from radio to TV, and silent films to 'talkies.' Artificial intelligence is reshaping the U.S. economy at a pace faster than previous technological transitions and, while AI promises productivity, growth, and global competitiveness, it also presents serious workforce disruption risks across all sectors, including the creative arts."

Additionally, WME wrote that "California's creative economy is both a defining feature of the state and a vital economic engine. Currently, California's creative economy employs more than 760,000 workers with an average salary of $191,000 per year, accounting for roughly 5% of the state's workforce. Yet a January 2024 CVL Economics study projected that 62,000 jobs in California could be disruptive by GenAI by 2026. The scale of what is at stake is not abstract; these concerns were a central issue in the 2023 Hollywood strikes and are at the core of the 2026 labor negotiations… this legislative proposal will establish an exciting and forward-thinking workforce training program that supports the entertainment industry's transition to the AI economy and ensures workers in California's entertainment industry are prepared to meet the demands of employers as new technology transforms the entertainment industry and the jobs that fuel it."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, while the bill's provisions would be subject to an appropriation, the 2026 Budget Act includes $15 million in Proposition 98 General Fund on a one-time basis for the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.

VOTES:

ASM HIGHER EDUCATION: 9-0-1

YES: Fong, DeMaio, Boerner, Jeff Gonzalez, Jackson, Muratsuchi, Patel, Sharp-Collins, Tangipa

ABS, ABST OR NV: Celeste Rodriguez

ASM PRIVACY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION: 15-0-0

YES: Bauer-Kahan, Macedo, Bryan, DeMaio, Hoover, Irwin, Lowenthal, McKinnor, Ortega, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Ward, Wicks, Wilson

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 15-0-0

YES: Wicks, Hoover, Aguiar-Curry, Calderon, Caloza, Dixon, Fong, Mark González, Krell, Pacheco, Pellerin, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Ta, Tangipa

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0-2

YES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zbur, Rivas

ABS, ABST OR NV: Muratsuchi, Celeste Rodriguez

SENATE FLOOR: 39-0-1

YES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Pérez, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener

ABS, ABST OR NV: Reyes

UPDATED

VERSION: June 30, 2026

CONSULTANT: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0003933

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 2504

Author: Bauer-Kahan (D), et al.

Amended: 6/30/26 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 6/24/26

AYES: Pérez, Ochoa Bogh, Cabaldon, Choi, Cortese, Gonzalez, Reyes

SENATE PRIV., DIGITAL TECH. & CONS. PROT. COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/29/26

AYES: Cabaldon, Seyarto, Gonzalez, McNerney, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Reyes, Umberg, Wiener

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/13/26

AYES: Cervantes, Seyarto, Cabaldon, Dahle, Grayson, Richardson, Wahab

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 5/26/26 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Community colleges: artificial intelligence: pilot program

SOURCE: William Morris Endeavor

DIGEST:

This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program with the goal of supporting workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence (AI) by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges (CCC) system.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CCCs, a postsecondary education system in this state, under the administration of the Board of Governors (BOG), and specifies that the CCC system consists of community college districts (CCDs). (Education Code (EC) § 70900)
2. Requires that a CCD be under the control of a governing board; requires the governing board of a CCD to establish, maintain, operate, and govern one or more CCCs in accordance with law; and requires CCDs to establish policies for and approve courses of instruction and educational programs. (EC § 70902)
3. Establishes the California Online Community College, under the administration of the BOG, for specified purposes, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and AI to build out student supports. (EC § 75000 - 75012)

This bill:

1. Creates an article to be known, and may be cited, as the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.
2. Requires the CCCCO to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, which shall be operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual budget act or another statute for its purposes.
3. Requires the pilot program be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives.
4. Requires the pilot program be developed to achieve all of the following goals:
   1. Supporting workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative AI, as specified, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the CCCs.
   2. Ensuring that each participating college’s program is designed and implemented in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
   3. Establishing a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that CCCs and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption.
5. Requires the CCCCO, by June 30, 2027, to establish eligibility criteria for CCCs seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program.
6. Requires the pilot program to be limited to up to 10 colleges statewide, to be selected by the CCCCO.
7. Encourages the CCCCO, in selecting colleges for participation in the pilot program, to ensure that there is equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.
8. Requires the implementation of the pilot program for the selected colleges commence by July 1, 2028.
9. Requires the CCCCO, by January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at colleges participating in the pilot program.
10. Requires the submitted report to include, but not be limited to: the number of participants who completed the pilot program; a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to participants who completed the pilot program; and outcomes and job placement rates of participants who completed the pilot program. Requires the specified data to be disaggregated by student demographics.
11. Requires the submitted report to include outcomes and legislative recommendations, and to be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
12. Requires that this program remains in effect until January 1, 2033, and repeals the program on that date.

Comments

Need for the bill. According to the author, “AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California’s creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region’s creative workforce.”

This bill seeks a CCC pilot program to upskill and reskill workers displaced by generative AI. As a response to the recent rise of generative AI, including widespread and rapidly evolving large language models that can quickly generate text, images, and video, this bill aims to create a pilot program to help workers who have been displaced by AI, specifically in the creative and entertainment industries. The proposed pilot program would be developed in partnership with labor unions representing these workers and with industry representatives. This bill indicates that if this program proves successful, this type of pilot program may be able to be replicated across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption.

The author’s office indicates that upskilling or training displaced workers on how to use generative AI in their current positions or related positions is an important component of the bill, but states that the bill itself does not specifically prioritize upskilling or reskilling. According to the CCCCO, they are not aware of any current coursework in the CCC system that is upskilling workers displaced by generative AI. This bill could lead to CCCs seeking to create those types of courses or certificates that reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.

The 2026 Budget Act includes funding for this purpose. Upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual budget act or another statute, the pilot program would be operative, and funding would be allocated to up to 10 colleges statewide, with the CCCCO ensuring equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state. The 2026 Budget Act includes $15 million on a one-time basis for the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.

Related/Prior Legislation

AB 2544 (Gabriel of 2026) would require the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to establish and administer a pilot program to develop a model for delivering high-quality, workforce-centered AI literacy instruction focused on careers in the entertainment industry. The bill would require the pilot program, among other things, to create a connected training pipeline that links learning directly to employment opportunities. This legislation was referred to the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact and has not been set for a hearing.

AB 2487 (Ahrens of 2026) would establish the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act to accomplish specified goals, including, among others, empowering and supporting CCC instructors in using and deploying AI responsibly in administrative and classroom settings, and strengthening the state’s AI and technology workforce pipeline by upskilling and educating all workers so they can benefit from AI. The author held AB the bill in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

While the bill’s provisions would be subject to an appropriation, the 2026 Budget Act includes $15 million in Proposition 98 General Fund on a one-time basis for the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/14/26)

William Morris Endeavor (source)

Adobe

Association of Talent Agents

California Arts Advocates

California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

Faculty Association of California Community Colleges

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/14/26)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 5/26/26

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zbur, Rivas

NO VOTE RECORDED: Muratsuchi, Celeste Rodriguez

Prepared by: Michelle Nguyen / ED. / (916) 651-4105

8/15/26 11:19:27

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Sabrina Cervantes, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular Session

AB 2504 (Bauer-Kahan) - Community colleges: artificial intelligence: pilot program

Bill Summary:

This bill requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program to support workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence (AI) by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges (CCCs).

Fiscal Impact:

While the bill’s provisions would be subject to an appropriation, the 2026 Budget Act includes $15 million in Proposition 98 General Fund on a one-time basis for the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.

Background:

Existing law establishes the CCCs under the administration of the Board of Governors (BOG) and specifies that the CCC system consists of community college districts (CCDs).

Existing law requires that a CCD be under the control of a governing board. It requires the governing board of a CCD to establish, maintain, operate, and govern one or more CCCs in accordance with law, and provides that CCDs shall establish policies for and approve courses of instruction and educational programs.

Existing law establishes the California Online Community College, under the administration of the BOG, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and AI to build out student supports.

Proposed Law:

This bill requires the Chancellor’s Office to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, which shall be operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual budget act or another statute for its purposes. It requires the pilot program be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives.

This bill requires the pilot program be developed to achieve all of the following goals:

1. Supporting workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative AI, as specified, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the CCCs.
2. Ensuring that each participating CCD’s program is designed and implemented in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
3. Establishing a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that CCCs and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption.

This bill requires the Chancellor’s Office, by June 30, 2027, to establish eligibility criteria for CCCs seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program. It requires the pilot program to be limited to up to 10 CCDs statewide, to be selected by the Chancellor’s Office.

This bill encourages the Chancellor, in selecting CCDs for participation in the pilot program, to ensure that there is equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.

This bill requires implementation of the pilot program by community colleges selected for the program to commence by July 1, 2028. It also requires the Chancellor’s Office, by January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at campuses maintained by CCDs participating in the pilot program. The report shall include but not be limited to the number of participants who completed the pilot program; a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to participants who completed the pilot program; and outcomes and job placement rates of participants who completed the pilot program. Requires the specified data to be disaggregated by student demographics.

The program shall remain in effect until January 1, 2033, and be repealed on that date.

Staff Comments:

This bill seeks to create a pilot program to help workers who have been displaced by AI, specifically in the creative and entertainment industries. The proposed pilot program would be developed in partnership with labor unions representing these workers and industry representatives. One of the goals of the pilot is to establish a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that CCCs and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption. According to the author, “AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California’s creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region’s creative workforce.”

-- END --

SENATE PRIVACY, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMITTEE

Senator Christopher Cabaldon, Chair

2025-2026 Regular Session

Bill No: AB 2504 (Author:Bauer-Kahan)

Version: June 11, 2026

Hearing Date: June 29, 2026

Fiscal: Yes

Urgency: No

Consultant: CK

SUBJECT

Community colleges: artificial intelligence: pilot program

DIGEST

This bill requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and to report to the Legislature on its progress.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping the creative industries at a pace that outstrips most workers’ ability to adapt and automating tasks that once formed the essential work of illustrators, writers, actors, musicians, voice actors, and designers. While the technology opens new creative possibilities, it simultaneously disrupts the human craft and experience that underpin those possibilities, often trained, without consent or compensation, on the very work it now displaces. The economic disruption is real and accelerating: freelance markets are shrinking, stock image libraries are in freefall, and entry-level creative roles, traditionally how new talent breaks in, are vanishing. This calls for targeted support programs that go beyond generic retraining schemes. The creative workforce has always been adaptable, but adaptation requires time and resources, both of which demand deliberate policy and institutional support.

This bill seeks to build that by calling upon the Chancellor of the Community Colleges to establish a pilot program in partnership with the unions representing the creative industry in order to support those in the industry at risk of displacement by GenAI through structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities with curriculum and training models that reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served. A report is required to be provided to the Legislature evaluating outcomes. The bill is sponsored by William Morris Endeavor and supported by the Association of Talent Agents. No timely opposition has been received by the Committee. It passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a vote of 7 to 0.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE LAW

Existing law:

1. Defines “artificial intelligence” to mean an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments. (Gov. Code. § 11549.64(a).)
2. Defines “GenAI” or “generative artificial intelligence” to mean an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, including text, images, video, and audio that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data. (Gov. Code. § 11549.64(b).)
3. Establishes the California Community Colleges, consisting of community college districts, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. (Ed. Code § 70900.)
4. Establishes, under the California Constitution, the University of California (UC) as a public trust to be administered by the Regents of the UC with full powers of organization and government, subject only to such legislative control as may be necessary to insure the security of its funds and compliance with the terms of the endowments of the university, and such competitive bidding procedures as may be made applicable to the university for construction contracts, selling real property, and purchasing materials, goods, and services. (Cal. Const. art. IX, § 9.)
5. Provides that statutes related to the UC, and most other aspects of the governance and operation of the UC, are applicable only to the extent that the Regents of the UC make such provisions applicable. (Ed. Code § 67400.)

This bill^[1]:

1. Requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (Chancellor’s office) to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program to be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives, with the following goals:
   1. Supporting workers in California’s creative and entertainment industries, including film, television, music, touring, and live events, who have been or are at risk of being displaced by GenAI, including sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges.
   2. Ensuring that each participating community college program is designed and implemented in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
   3. Establishing a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that California Community Colleges and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing artificial intelligence-driven employment disruption.
2. Requires the Chancellor’s office to, on or before June 30, 2027, establish eligibility requirements for community colleges seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program. The Chancellor’s office shall choose up to 10 community colleges and is encouraged to provide for regional diversity.
3. Requires the implementation of the pilot program to begin on or before July 1, 2028.
4. Requires the Chancellor’s office to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2032, evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program and including:
   1. The number of participants who completed the pilot program, a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to them, and their outcomes and job placement rates, all disaggregated by student demographics.
   2. Outcomes and legislative recommendations.
5. Becomes operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature and remains in effect only until January 1, 2033, and as of that date is repealed.

COMMENTS

1. GenAI’s impact on creative economies

The introduction of GenAI is reshaping California’s creative economies. Early evidence suggests major disruption may be underway, and the true impact on jobs, incomes, and long-term careers remains largely unknown. While new tools can enhance creators’ workflows, the rapid influx of AI-generated content also threatens to dilute markets, suppress wages, and devalue human-made work. To date, few studies have assessed how AI will affect jobs and incomes for writers, actors, musicians, designers, and other creators. Further research will be necessary to fully understand the transformative effect that AI is having on California’s creators.

A global report published by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC and PMP Strategy) in December 2024 projected the emergence of a massive market for AI-generated content. The study estimated that AI-generated audiovisual content, including film and TV, could be worth €48 billion ($55.73 billion) by 2028. However, the report warned that up to 21 percent of creators’ revenue in film and TV could be cannibalized as a result:

In an unchanged regulatory framework, creators will actually suffer losses on two fronts: the loss of revenues due to the unauthorised use of their works by Gen AI models without remuneration; and replacement of their traditional revenue streams due to the substitution effect of AI-generated outputs, competing against humanmade works.^[2]

Meanwhile, the market for AI-generated music is projected to surge in the coming years. The CISAC study projected that the market for AI-generated music would grow to €64 billion ($74.3 billion) in 2028, with revenues for AI music platforms alone rising to about €4 billion ($4.64 billion). GenAI is forecast to claim roughly 20 percent of streaming music revenues by 2028, and AI-generated music has begun to regularly appear on the Billboard and Spotify charts.^[3] One Guardian report found an entirely AI-created band – the Velvet Sundown – had amassed over one million Spotify streams.^[4]

1. Responding to impending GenAI displacement in the creative industries

This bill seeks to respond to the impacts GenAI is likely to have on the creative industries by requiring the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The pilot shall be developed in partnership with the relevant labor unions and shall focus on achieving the following goals:

• Supporting workers in California’s creative and entertainment industries, including film, television, music, touring, and live events, who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence, including sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges.
• Ensuring that each participating community college program is designed and implemented in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
• Establishing a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that California Community Colleges and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing artificial intelligence-driven employment disruption.

According to the author:

AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California's creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract; these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region's creative workforce.

Implementation of the program at up to ten community colleges chosen must commence before July 1, 2028, but the bill does not become operative until funds are appropriated by the Legislature. The bill sunsets January 1, 2033.

William Morris Endeavor writes jointly with SAG-AFTRA and Adobe:

AB2504 establishes the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program: a workforce training partnership between the entertainment industry and the California Community Colleges, designed by, with, and for employers and workers. It is an early investment in skills and infrastructure that will allow California to adapt more effectively and to focus on augmenting human work rather than replacing it.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, in partnership with unions including SAG-AFTRA, employers including WME, and tech leaders including Adobe will deliver industry-connected training that helps workers adapt, embraces human creativity, teaches new tools, and gives employers the skilled talent they need to compete globally.

Writing in support, the Association of Talent Agents asserts:

AB 2504 provides the necessary structural support to transition our workforce from traditional methods to modernized, tech-integrated workflows. By investing in the upskilling of our workforce, we ensure that:

• California Remains the Innovation Hub: By teaching new ways of doing business, we keep production activity and talent within the region.
• Economic Stability through Mastery: Upskilling ensures that employees at all levels can leverage GenAI to enhance productivity and creativity, rather than being sidelined by it.
• Continued Cultural and Economic Strength: Empowering the creatives who built this field allows them to lead the inevitable structural shifts in the industry.

SUPPORT

Adobe Systems

Association of Talent Agents

California Arts Advocates

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
William Morris Endeavor

OPPOSITION

None received

RELATED LEGISLATION

SB 947 (McNerney, 2026) regulates the use of automated decision systems (ADS) in the employment context, prohibiting certain uses and limiting the purposes for which ADS can be used. Certain disclosures are required when ADS are primarily relied upon to make a disciplinary, termination, or deactivation decision. SB 947 is currently in the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

SB 951 (Reyes, 2026) establishes the California Worker Technological Displacement Act to, among other things, require employers to provide a 60-day advanced written notice before any technological displacement affecting a specified number of its workforce; prohibit employers from discharging an affected worker without reasonable and substantiated cause during this 60-day period; grant impacted workers the right of first bid on other positions with the employer; and prescribe penalties and specified remedies for violations. SB 951 is currently in the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

AB 412 (Bauer-Kahan, 2026) places obligations on GenAI developers to document “covered material” used to train their models and to facilitate a process for “rights owners” to determine whether their protected material was so used. AB 412 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 1898 (Shultz, 2026) requires employers to give workers at least 90 days’ advance written notice before deploying any “workplace AI tool,” defined to include both ADS and AI-based surveillance technologies. Employers must provide workers a notice that, among other disclosures, lists the tools used by the employers, each tool’s purpose, the data it collects, the employment decisions it may affect, and any quotas the tool sets or enforces. Enforcement falls to the Labor Commissioner, public prosecutors, and workers themselves, with civil penalties of up to $500 per violation. AB 1898 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2544 (Gabriel, 2026) requires GO-Biz to establish and administer a pilot program to develop a model for delivering high-quality, workforce-centered AI literacy instruction focused on careers in the entertainment industry. It requires GO-Biz, among other things, to enter into partnerships with entertainment industry unions and guilds, entertainment industry employers, and film schools, among others, to support the pilot program, as specified. It requires the office, on or before January 1, 2029, to submit a report to the Legislature summarizing the results of the pilot program and providing recommendations for continuation, modification, or expansion of the pilot program, as specified. AB 2544 is currently in the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact.

AB 2656 (Petrie-Norris, 2026) requires certain public employers to provide a recognized employee organization no less than 45 days’ written notice before taking an action to develop, purchase, implement, or utilize any generative AI (GenAI) to perform a service that is within the scope of work of the job classification represented by the recognized employee organization. AB 2656 is set to be heard in this Committee the same day as this bill.

PRIOR VOTES:

Assembly Floor (Ayes 78, Noes 0)

Assembly Appropriations Committee (Ayes 15, Noes 0)

Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee (Ayes 15, Noes 0)

Assembly Higher Education Committee (Ayes 9, Noes 0)

**************

1. Amendments limiting this bill to ten community colleges rather than 10 community college districts were agreed to in the Senate Education Committee. Those amendments will be taken in this Committee. This analysis is of the bill as agreed to be amended. ↑

2. Study on the economic impact of Generative AI in the Music and Audiovisual industries (November 2024) PMP Strategy & CISAC, https://www.cisac.org/services/reports-and-research/cisacpmp-strategy-ai-study. ↑

3. Aisha Down, AI slop tops Billboard and Spotify charts as synthetic music spreads (November 13, 2025) The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/13/ai-music-spotify-billboard-charts. ↑

4. Lanre Bakare, An AI-generated band got 1m plays on Spotify. Now music insiders say listeners should be warned (July 14, 2025) The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/an-ai-generated-bandgot-1m-plays-on-spotify-now-music-insiders-say-listeners-should-be-warned. ↑

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair

2025 - 2026 Regular

Bill No: Hearing Date: June 24, 2026

Subject:

NOTE: This bill has been referred to the Committees on Education and Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection. A “do pass” motion should include referral to the Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection.

SUMMARY

This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program with the goal of supporting workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence (AI) by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges (CCC) system.

BACKGROUND

Existing law:

1. Establishes the CCCs, a postsecondary education system in this state, under the administration of the Board of Governors (BOG), and specifies that the CCC system consists of community college districts (CCDs). (Education Code (EC) § 70900)
2. Requires that a CCD be under the control of a governing board; requires the governing board of a CCD to establish, maintain, operate, and govern one or more CCCs in accordance with law; and requires CCDs to establish policies for and approve courses of instruction and educational programs. (EC § 70902)
3. Establishes the California Online Community College, under the administration of the BOG, for specified purposes, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and AI to build out student supports. (EC § 75000 - 75012)

ANALYSIS

This bill:

1. Creates an article to be known, and may be cited, as the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.
2. Requires the CCCCO to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, which shall be operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual budget act or another statute for its purposes.
3. Requires the pilot program be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives.
4. Requires the pilot program be developed to achieve all of the following goals:
   1. Supporting workers in the state’s creative and entertainment industries who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative AI, as specified, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the CCCs.
   2. Ensuring that each participating CCD’s program is designed and implemented in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
   3. Establishing a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that CCCs and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption.
5. Requires the CCCCO, by June 30, 2027, to establish eligibility criteria for CCCs seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program.
6. Requires the pilot program to be limited to up to 10 CCDs statewide, to be selected by the CCCCO.
7. Encourages the CCCCO, in selecting CCDs for participation in the pilot program, to ensure that there is equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.
8. Requires the implementation of the pilot program commence by July 1, 2028.
9. Requires the CCCCO, by January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at campuses maintained by CCDs participating in the pilot program.
10. Requires the submitted report to include, but not be limited to: the number of participants who completed the pilot program; a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to participants who completed the pilot program; and outcomes and job placement rates of participants who completed the pilot program. Requires the specified data to be disaggregated by student demographics.
11. Requires the submitted report to include outcomes and legislative recommendations, and to be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
12. Requires that this program remains in effect until January 1, 2033, and repeals the program on that date.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, “AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California’s creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region’s creative workforce.”
2. This bill seeks a CCC pilot program to upskill and reskill workers displaced by generative AI. As a response to the recent rise of generative AI, including widespread and rapidly evolving large language models that can quickly generate text, images, and video, this bill aims to create a pilot program to help workers who have been displaced by AI, specifically in the creative and entertainment industries. The proposed pilot program would be developed in partnership with labor unions representing these workers and with industry representatives. This bill indicates that if this program proves successful, this type of pilot program may be able to be replicated across sectors facing AI-driven employment disruption.

The author’s office indicates that upskilling or training displaced workers on how to use generative AI in their current positions or related positions is an important component of the bill, but states that the bill itself does not specifically prioritize upskilling or reskilling. According to the CCCCO, they are not aware of any current coursework in the CCC system that is upskilling workers displaced by generative AI. This bill could lead to CCCs seeking to create those types of courses or certificates that reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served.

1. The two-party agreement for the 2026 Budget Act includes funding for this purpose. Upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual budget act or another statute, the pilot program would be operative, and funding would be allocated to up to 10 CCDs statewide, with the CCCCO ensuring equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state. The two-party agreement for the 2026 Budget Act includes $15 million on a one-time basis for the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program.
2. Committee amendments to be taken in the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee. Committee staff recommends amendments to be taken in the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee, and the author agrees, to do the following:
   1. Clarify that the allocation of program funds would be to community colleges, not community college districts.
   2. Clarify that the implementation, which begins July 1, 2028, is for the local community colleges selected for the pilot program.
3. Related and Prior Legislation.

AB 2544 (Gabriel, 2026) would require the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to establish and administer a pilot program to develop a model for delivering high-quality, workforce-centered AI literacy instruction focused on careers in the entertainment industry. The bill would require the pilot program, among other things, to create a connected training pipeline that links learning directly to employment opportunities. This legislation is currently pending a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact.

AB 2487 (Ahrens, 2026) would establish the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act to accomplish specified goals, including, among others, empowering and supporting CCC instructors in using and deploying AI responsibly in administrative and classroom settings, and strengthening the state’s AI and technology workforce pipeline by upskilling and educating all workers so they can benefit from AI. The author held AB 2487 in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education.

SUPPORT

Association of Talent Agents

California Arts Advocates

Faculty Association of California Community Colleges

OPPOSITION

None received

-- END --

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 2504

Author:(Bauer-Kahan)

As Amended Ver:April 16, 2026

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires, upon appropriation, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges (CCCCO) to implement Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program on or before July 1, 2027, and to select up to 10 community college districts (CCD) to participate in the pilot program, as specified. Requires the CCCCO, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided.

Major Provisions

1. Requires the CCCCO to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program with the following goals:
   1. Support California workers in creative and entertainment industries, including film, television, music, touring, and live events, who have been or are at risk of being displaced by GenAI, such as sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges.
   2. Ensure that each participating community college district program is in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives to design and implement curriculum and training models that reflect the real tools, condition, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
   3. Establish a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that California Community Colleges and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing artificial intelligence-driven employment disruption.
2. Requires the pilot program to be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and industry representatives.
3. Requires the CCCCO to, on or before June 30, 2027, establish eligibility requirements for community colleges seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program.
4. Limits entry into the pilot program to 10 CCDs statewide, to be selected by the CCCCO. Directs the CCCCO to ensure equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.
5. Requires the implementation of the pilot program to begin on or before July 1, 2027.
6. Requires the CCCCO to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2032, evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at campuses maintained by community college districts participating in the pilot program.
7. Requires the report outlined in 6) above to include, at a minimum, the number of participants who completed the pilot program, a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to participants who completed the pilot program, and outcomes and job placement rates of participants who completed the pilot program. Requires that the data to be disaggregated by student demographics.
8. Requires the report outlined in 6) above to include outcomes and legislative recommendations and to be in line with relevant state law, as specified.
9. Specifies that the provisions of this bill become operative only upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.
10. Sunsets the provisions on January 1, 2033.

COMMENTS

Employment impacts of AI. The World Economic Forum released a white paper, Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030, in January of 2026. The white paper noted that AI has moved from experimentation to workflow integration, with the share of businesses using AI in at least one function increasing from 55% in 2022 to 88% in the latest estimates. According to the paper, "the adoption of these technologies promises systemic gains in productivity, but also raises critical questions about economic inclusion, values, trust and resilience."

According to the World Economic Forum's annual survey of over 10,000 executives globally, about 54% of respondents expect AI to displace existing jobs, and 24% said AI will drive the creation of new jobs. More than four in 10 executives surveyed expect AI to increase profit margins across businesses, and only slightly less said AI will increase accessibility (37%) and affordability (30%) of goods and services. Notably, only 12% expect AI to have a positive impact on wages, while 24% predict an increase in industry concentration.

The white paper posits four scenarios for the future of jobs in 2030:

1. Scenario 1: Supercharged Progress - AI advances rapidly, transforming industries, boosting productivity, and enabling widespread innovation. Many traditional jobs disappear, but new roles emerge quickly as people manage and collaborate with intelligent systems. However, governance, ethics, and social protections struggle to keep pace with the speed of change.
2. Scenario 2: The Age of Displacement - AI development outstrips the workforce's ability to adapt, leading to rapid automation and widespread job loss. While productivity rises, social systems lag behind, causing unemployment, declining consumer confidence, and instability. Economies advance technologically but become increasingly fractured and unequal.
3. Scenario 3: Co-Pilot Economy - AI progresses steadily, with a focus on augmenting human work rather than replacing it. Human–AI collaboration becomes the norm, driving gradual but meaningful transformation across industries. Early investments in skills, infrastructure, and governance allow some economies to adapt and benefit more effectively.
4. Scenario 4: Stalled Progress - AI advances but is limited by a lack of workforce skills, resulting in uneven productivity gains. Benefits concentrate in regions and firms with expertise, while others fall behind, deepening inequality. Automation displaces routine jobs, demand rises for skilled trades, and overall economic growth remains constrained.

Community college work in AI: In September 2023, the Chancellor of the CCC released Vision 2030: A Roadmap for California Community Colleges, which included a description on the importance of engaging with AI in Strategic Direction 3, The Future of Learning. The Vision 2030 roadmap focuses on integrating AI and Generative AI to elevate teaching and learning. Key areas of investment include professional development, data infrastructure, evaluation and partnership capacity and demonstration projects.

In July of 2024, the Chancellor of the CCC released a report to the CCC Board of Governors titled Generative AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning The report includes a set of recommended actions. Chancellor Christian asserts that CCC must double down in "deepening human qualities of cooperation, ethical decision making, and emotional intelligence in a world of rapidly developing machine learning."

The report specifically calls for a humans-centered approach, which includes:

1. Students, faculty, staff and administrators should be able to opt out, where appropriate, and have access to a person who can quickly consider and remedy problems they encounter. Measures should also be taken to ensure that there are humans in the loop when capabilities are designed, tested and used to achieve successful outcomes.
2. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should have equitable access to tools, training and solutions that minimize bias and improve outcomes.
3. Measures should be taken to empower students, faculty, staff, and administrators to have agency over how data about them is collected and used and set parameters that shield them from abusive data practices via built-in protections.
4. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should not face discrimination by algorithms and systems should be designed and used in an equitable way.
5. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should know that an automated system is being used and understand how and why it contributes to outcomes that impact them.
6. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should be protected from unsafe or ineffective systems.

The CCC has established the Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity to represent a strategic approach to supporting the CCC's Vision 2030, including leading in innovation, harnessing the power of generative AI, public and private technology partnerships, and transforming the CCC's ability to serve students as they move into an AI- powered workforce.

According to the Author

According to the author, "AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California's creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region's creative workforce."

Th author continues, noting that "a January 2024 survey by CVL Economics projected that 203,800 entertainment jobs would likely be disrupted in the United States by 2026, including 62,000 in California, with sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions at the greatest risk of displacement. As AI continues to reshape the landscape, the California Legislature has an opportunity to support the creatives who built their careers in these fields."

Arguments in Support

William Morris Endeavor (WME) wrote in support, noting that "WME is a global talent agency that brings over 125 years of experience representing clients spanning film, television, music, sports, theater, books, comedy, fashion, brands, digital, and the full entertainment ecosystem…the history of the media business is a history of realignment that goes back to the transition from radio to TV, and silent films to 'talkies.' Artificial intelligence is reshaping the U.S. economy at a pace faster than previous technological transitions and, while AI promises productivity, growth, and global competitiveness, it also presents serious workforce disruption risks across all sectors, including the creative arts."

Additionally, WME wrote that "California's creative economy is both a defining feature of the state and a vital economic engine. Currently, California's creative economy employs more than 760,000 workers with an average salary of $191,000 per year, accounting for roughly five percent of the state's workforce. Yet a January 2024 CVL Economics study projected that 62,000 jobs in California could be disruptive by GenAI by 2026. The scale of what is at stake is not abstract; these concerns were a central issue in the 2023 Hollywood strikes and are at the core of the 2026 labor negotiations… this legislative proposal will establish an exciting and forward-thinking workforce training program that supports the entertainment industry's transition to the AI economy and ensures workers in California's entertainment industry are prepared to meet the demands of employers as new technology transforms the entertainment industry and the jobs that fuel it."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

One-time General Fund cost pressures of an unknown but likely significant amount, possibly in

the hundreds of thousands to low millions of dollars, for the Legislature to appropriate funding to

support the CCCCO's establishment of the pilot and submittal of the required report by January

1, 2032.

VOTES

ASM HIGHER EDUCATION: 9-0-1

YES: Fong, DeMaio, Boerner, Jeff Gonzalez, Jackson, Muratsuchi, Patel, Sharp-Collins, Tangipa

ABS, ABST OR NV: Celeste Rodriguez

ASM PRIVACY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION: 15-0-0

YES: Bauer-Kahan, Macedo, Bryan, DeMaio, Hoover, Irwin, Lowenthal, McKinnor, Ortega, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Ward, Wicks, Wilson

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 15-0-0

YES: Wicks, Hoover, Aguiar-Curry, Calderon, Caloza, Dixon, Fong, Mark González, Krell, Pacheco, Pellerin, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Ta, Tangipa

UPDATED

VERSION: April 16, 2026

CONSULTANT: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0002950

Date of Hearing: May 6, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2504

Author:(Bauer-Kahan) – As Amended Ver:April 16, 2026

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program, including up to 10 community college districts (CCDs) statewide, subject to an appropriation.

The bill requires the CCCCO, by January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot, listing certificates or degrees awarded to participants, and detailing outcomes and job placement rates of participants.

FISCAL EFFECT:

One-time General Fund cost pressures of an unknown but likely significant amount, possibly in the hundreds of thousands to low millions of dollars, for the Legislature to appropriate funding to support the CCCCO’s establishment of the pilot and submittal of the required report by January 1, 2032.

COMMENTS:

The increasing capability of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and its proliferation into the workforce has led to concerns of reduced employability for individuals of all professions, but particular those in the entertainment industry. A 2024 CVL Economic study projected an estimated 62,000 jobs could be disrupted by GenAI by 2026. According to the William Morris Endeavor, a talent agency:

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the U.S. economy at a pace faster than previous technological transitions and, while AI promises productivity, growth, and global competitiveness, it also presents serious workforce disruption risks across all sectors, including the creative arts.

The bill tasks the pilot established by the CCCCO with the selection of up to 10 CCDs to support workers in California’s creative and entertainment industries, build meaningful partnerships with the relevant labor unions representing creative workers, and establish a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that could be scaled up across workforce sectors experiencing GenAI-related disruption.

Analysis Prepared by: Aaron Heredia / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 21, 2026

Fiscal:

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PRIVACY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2504 (

Author:Bauer-Kahan) – As Amended Ver:April 16, 2026

SUBJECT: Community colleges: artificial intelligence: pilot program

SYNOPSIS

Generative AI (GenAI) tools are rapidly evolving, threatening to disrupt thousands of workers who may not be prepared to adapt to the shifting workforce landscape. The entertainment industry is particularly susceptible to job disruptions due to GenAI’s ability to learn from consuming mass amounts of data to produce realistic images, videos, audio, and text.

To aid in workforce development in the entertainment industry, this bill creates a pilot program to provide training and resources to students at risk of being displaced by GenAI in the entertainment industry, including voice actors, sound engineers, and employees at entry-level positions. This bill requires the California Community Colleges to initiate a pilot program across its districts, in partnership with relevant labor unions, to provide reskilling and upskilling opportunities to prepare students for the evolving future.

This bill is author-sponsored and has support from the William Morris Endeavor, a talent agency representing clients in the entertainment industry. This bill has no registered opposition.

This bill was previously heard in the Higher Education Committee, where it passed on a 9-0-1 vote.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the California Community Colleges, consisting of community college districts, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. (Ed. Code § 70900.)
2. Creates for each community college district a board of trustees, known as the governing board, and authorizes the governing board to establish, maintain, operate, and govern each community college within their district in accordance with state and federal law, as specified. Authorizes the governing board to initiate and carry on any program, activity, or otherwise act in any manner that is not in conflict or inconsistent with any law and that is not in conflict with the purpose of a community college district, as specified. (Ed. Code § 70902.)
3. Establishes the California Online Community College Act, under the administration of the board of governors, for specified purposes, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to build out student supports. (Ed. Code § 75000 et seq.)
4. Defines “artificial intelligence” or “AI” to mean an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments. (Gov. Code § 11546.45.5.)
5. Defines “GenAI” or “generative artificial intelligence” to mean an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, including text, images, video, and audio that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data. (Gov. Code. § 11549.64(b).)

THIS BILL:

1. Requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (Chancellor’s office), to establish the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program with the following goals:
   1. Support California workers in creative and entertainment industries, including film, television, music, touring, and live events, who have been or are at risk of being displaced by GenAI, such as sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges.
   2. Ensure that each participating community college district program is in meaningful partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives to design and implement curriculum and training models that reflect the real tools, condition, and career pathways of the workforce being served.
   3. Establish a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that California Community Colleges and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing artificial intelligence-driven employment disruption.
2. Requires the pilot program to be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and industry representatives.
3. Requires the Chancellor’s office to, on or before June 30, 2027, establish eligibility requirements for community colleges seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program.
4. Limits entry into the pilot program to ten community college districts statewide, to be selected by the Chancellor’s office. Directs the chancellor’s office to ensure equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.
5. Requires the implementation of the pilot program to begin on or before July 1, 2027.
6. Requires the Chancellor’s office to submit a report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2032, evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at campuses maintained by community college districts participating in the pilot program.
7. Requires the report outlined in 6) to include, at a minimum, the number of participants who completed the pilot program, a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees awarded to participants who completed the pilot program, and outcomes and job placement rates of participants who completed the pilot program. Requires that the data to be disaggregated by student demographics.
8. Requires the report outlined in 6) to include outcomes and legislative recommendations and to be in line with relevant state law, as specified.
9. Specifies that the provisions of this bill become operative only upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.
10. Sunsets the provisions on January 1, 2033.

COMMENTS:

1) Author’s statement. According to the author:

AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California's creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region's creative workforce.

A January 2024 survey by CVL Economics projected that 203,800 entertainment jobs would likely be disrupted in the United States by 2026, including 62,000 in California, with sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions at the greatest risk of displacement. As AI continues to reshape the landscape, the California Legislature has an opportunity to support the creatives who built their careers in these fields. AB 2504 brings together school leaders, workers, unions, and industry partners to develop upskilling criteria that will be implemented across five community colleges.

2) The rise of GenAI in the workforce. The development of GenAI has created exciting opportunities for California’s economy and the lives of its residents. Whereas AI uses algorithms to make predictions and recommendations following training on small, specific datasets, GenAI is trained on massive datasets that allows the tool to generate compelling text, images and audio in an instant. The ability for GenAI to perform tasks typically done by humans has led to concerns about workforce displacement, especially in creative fields where GenAI is becoming more commonplace.

GenAI’s use has skyrocketed in recent years, with one report suggesting that roughly 115 million to 180 million people use GenAI daily.^[1] In the workforce, approximately 79 percent of companies rely on GenAI tools for at least one business function, up from 33 percent in 2023.^[2] According to the World Economic Forum’s annual survey of over 10,000 executives across the world, over half of all executive respondents (54 percent) voiced concerns that AI would displace a large number of jobs.^[3] While 45 percent of respondents believe AI will increase businesses’ profit margins, only 23 percent think that AI will create a large number of new jobs, and an even smaller fraction of respondents (12 percent) believe that AI will increase wages for employees.^[4]

As outlined by the Higher Education Committee’s analysis of this bill (p. 3), The World Economic Forum posits four scenarios for the future of jobs in 2030:

1. Scenario 1: Supercharged Progress - AI advances rapidly, transforming industries, boosting productivity, and enabling widespread innovation. Many traditional jobs disappear, but new roles emerge quickly as people manage and collaborate with intelligent systems. However, governance, ethics, and social protections struggle to keep pace with the speed of change.
2. Scenario 2: The Age of Displacement - AI development outstrips the workforce’s ability to adapt, leading to rapid automation and widespread job loss. While productivity rises, social systems lag behind, causing unemployment, declining consumer confidence, and instability. Economies advance technologically but become increasingly fractured and unequal.
3. Scenario 3: Co-Pilot Economy - AI progresses steadily, with a focus on augmenting human work rather than replacing it. Human–AI collaboration becomes the norm, driving gradual but meaningful transformation across industries. Early investments in skills, infrastructure, and governance allow some economies to adapt and benefit more effectively.
4. Scenario 4: Stalled Progress - AI advances but is limited by a lack of workforce skills, resulting in uneven productivity gains. Benefits concentrate in regions and firms with expertise, while others fall behind, deepening inequality. Automation displaces routine jobs, demand rises for skilled trades, and overall economic growth remains constrained.^[5]

In 2023, just months after ChatGPT was released, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) both went on strike due largely to concerns that GenAI would co-opt jobs long held by paid actors and writers.^[6] Advocates for the strikes argued that GenAI stole troves of data from these artists, without providing any form of compensation, to train GenAI’s models. These very same models were now threatening to displace the artists. Using the work produced by creatives to learn how to generate its own creative content, GenAI allowed film and television industries to cut costs for employee labor without offering any compensation to the workers whose data trained the models. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a well-known actor and advocate for worker protections against AI, argues:

The U.S. Copyright Office recently issued an official statement that completely AI-generated works are not eligible for registration, saying, “These technologies ‘train’ on vast quantities of preexisting human-authored works and use inferences from that training to generate new content.” I imagine the copyright question will force tech companies to come up with a solution to attribute some sort of human authorship to an AI’s outputs. But here’s the question: Who owns the copyright to the training data? Who will therefore reap the benefits?

The answer to that key question, in the case of the film and television industry, is not the writers, actors, camera operators, costume designers, sound mixers or any of the other people who made the creations. The copyright is owned by the big studios. See the problem?

When I do a movie, and I sign my contract with a movie studio, I agree that the studio will own the copyright to the movie. Which feels fair and non-threatening. The studio paid to make the movie, so it should get to monetize the movie however it wants. But if I had known that by signing this contract and allowing the studio to be the movie’s sole copyright holder, I would then be allowing the studio to use that intellectual property as training data for an AI that would put me out of a job forever, I would never have signed that contract.^[7]

Negotiations resulting from the two strikes led to important provisions for protecting writers from GenAI job-displacement and established consent requirements to use digital replicas of performers, defined as capturing a person’s likeness to portray a person performing an action that they did not do.^[8] Contract negotiations are re-opening soon – July 2026 – and the pressures that GenAI is exerting on the creative industry have only heightened as the technology develops.

AI’s impacts on workers is a story still unfolding, with many artists at the forefront due to GenAI’s unique ability to produce realistic images, videos, and text that, historically, could only be made by highly talented artists. A 2024 survey of 300 entertainment executives conducted by DVL Economics reveals that the industry is largely embracing GenAI, with over 90 percent of respondents predicting that GenAI’s use would only grow in coming years.^[9] However, job disruption remains a pressing concern given the tightening belts of nearly every entertainment industry firm. In California alone, 62,000 workers in the entertainment industry at large are predicted to be disrupted by AI by 2026.^[10]

A 2026 report from the Otis College of Art and Design found that from 2022 to 2025 (the years after ChatGPT was released), the number of jobs in the California entertainment industry shrunk by 14 percent (114,000 jobs).^[11] However, the report states that many of these job losses are not directly tied to AI, but rather the result of budget cuts and cost-driven displacement of lower-paying roles. The report did find, notably, that AI was shifting creative work significantly and increasing the pressure to produce lower quality work for lower costs. The report suggests that employers can address some of the issues with quality by initiating firing freezes, arguing: “workers who know they will not be adopting themselves out of a job will experiment more openly, share insights more freely, and invest genuine effort into making AI tools work.”^[12]

3) The need for this bill. This bill tasks the California Community Colleges with developing and implementing a pilot program to provide critical guidance for individuals interested in entering the rapidly evolving entertainment industry. The goal of the pilot program is to assist workers at risk for GenAI job disruption by providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities, in partnership with relevant labor unions. California Community Colleges have already displayed strong commitment to addressing AI’s potential impacts on the workforce, including by launching Vision 2030, a roadmap focused on integrating AI and Generative AI to elevate teaching and learning.^[13] As part of Vision 2030’s goals, California Community Colleges are partnering with Google to provide more than two million students and faculty with free access to AI training and Google Career Certificates, as well as offering access to GenAI tool’s like Google Gemini for Education.^[14] The pilot program created under AB 2504 puts another tool in the California’s Community College’s toolkit to support students and staff navigating the evolving workforce.

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: William Morris Endeavor (WME), a talent agency representing clients spanning film, television, music, sports, and the broader entertainment industry, writes in support:

We are grateful for the state’s continued investment in our industry through the recent expansion of the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program and applaud the work of the legislature to create and prioritize that program. To ensure California can fully benefit from this ongoing investment, we urge you to also address the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the entertainment industry.

Given our clients’ reach across the full creative spectrum, we have a unique understanding of how emerging technologies shape the industry, drive growth, and impact the creative workforce. The history of the media business is a history of realignment that goes back to the transition from radio to TV, and silent films to “talkies.” Artificial intelligence is reshaping the U.S. economy at a pace faster than previous technological transitions and, while AI promises productivity, growth, and global competitiveness, it also presents serious workforce disruption risks across all sectors, including the creative arts.

California’s creative economy is both a defining feature of the state and a vital economic engine. Currently, California’s creative economy employs more than 760,000 workers with an average salary of $191,000 per year, accounting for roughly five percent of the state’s workforce. Yet a January 2024 CVL Economics study projected that 62,000 jobs in California could be disruptive by GenAI by 2026. The scale of what is at stake is not abstract; these concerns were a central issue in the 2023 Hollywood strikes and are at the core of the 2026 labor negotiations.

AB 2504 would establish a Future of Creative Industry Pilot Program to upskill and support the very professionals the state’s tax credit is designed to sustain, ensuring no one is left behind as the industry evolves. Under AB 2504, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, in partnership with unions including SAG-AFTRA and industry employers including WME, will establish a new pilot program, informed by and for employers. This program creates tremendous opportunity for public private partnerships that leverage industry expertise and invest in the workers, talent, and creatives who are the lifeblood of one of this state's most iconic industries.

AB 2504 proposes to designate five California community colleges within the northern, central, and southern parts of the state region to serve as implementation hubs, selected for their capacity to equitably reach the creative workforce and deliver industry-connected training at scale. This strategy consolidates workforce development through existing institutions rather than creating new programs, aligning with your efforts to streamline government. Curriculum and program design will be developed collaboratively with industry partners, union representatives, and worker communities. This is intentional: the workforce itself has the most accurate read on what tools matter and what the experience needs to feel like to be effective.

We are confident that enacting AB 2504 would produce the following outcomes:

• • • Workers and talent served across five participating colleges, with documented completion and placement data by college, demographic group, and entertainment sector.
    • Industry-validated skill frameworks co-developed with unions, including SAG-AFTRA and industry including WME that reflect real hiring and production demands, not assumptions about what the industry needs.
    • A published replication framework making the model available to any California community college or workforce system seeking to scale AI transition training in other sectors.
    • Demonstrated employer engagement, measured by studios, production companies, and agencies that participate in curriculum co-design, hire program graduates, or formally endorse the initiative.
    • A policy brief for the Legislature and Governor's Office documenting what worked, what it cost, and what sustained investment would produce at scale.
    • As you know, the question is not whether AI will reshape roles in entertainment. It already has. The only question that matters now is: who controls the story? It is for these reasons that I respectfully urge your support for AB 2504.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

William Morris Endeavor (WME) Img, LLC

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Kate Davis / P. & C.P. / (916) 319-2200

1. Andres, Guadamuz, “How many people are using generative AI on a daily basis? A Gemini report,” (Apr 14, 2025), https://www.technollama.co.uk/a-gemini-report-how-many-people-are-using-generative-ai-on-a-daily-basis-a-gemini-report. ↑

2. McKinsey, “The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation,” (2025), https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai#/. ↑

3. World Economic Forum. “Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030,” (Jan. 7, 2026), https://www.weforum.org/publications/four-futures-for-jobs-in-the-new-economy-ai-and-talent-in-2030/. ↑

4. Id., p. 5. ↑

5. Id., p. 7. ↑

6. Matt Scherer, “The SAG-AFTRA Strike is Over, But the AI Fight in Hollywood is Just Beginning,” Center for Democracy & Technology, (Jan. 4, 2024), https://cdt.org/insights/the-sag-aftra-strike-is-over-but-the-ai-fight-in-hollywood-is-just-beginning/#:~:text=The%20Screen%20Actors%20Guild%2DAmerican%20Federation%20of%20Television,discuss%20remuneration%20for%20training%20generative%20AI%20systems. ↑

7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “If artificial intelligence uses your work, it should pay you,” The Washington Post, (July 26, 2023), https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/26/joseph-gordon-levitt-artificial-intelligence-residuals/. ↑

8. Scherer, “The SAG-AFTRA Strike is Over.”; “Know Your Rights: Artificial Intelligence,” Writers Guild of America West, (Dec. 18, 2025), https://www.wga.org/contracts/know-your-rights/artificial-intelligence. ↑

9. CVL Economics, “Future Unscripted: The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Entertainment Industry Jobs,” (January 2024), https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ce331b47a39b9000198fffa/t/65b9314fd6198f70b0ec7402/1706635612414/Future+Unscripted+-+The+Impact+of+Generative+Artificial+Intelligence+on+Entertainment+Industry+Jobs+-+pages_compressed.pdf. ↑

10. Id., p. 7. ↑

11. Katie Kilkenny, “California’s Creative Job Losses Aren’t AI Casualties, A New Report Finds (Exclusive), The Hollywood Reporter, (Apr. 6, 2026), https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/california-lost-creative-job-losses-ai-1236555589/. ↑

12. Id. ↑

13. “Vision 2030 – The July 2025 Edition,” California Community Colleges, (July 2025), https://www.cccco.edu/-/media/CCCCO-Website/docs/vision2030/vision-2030-report.pdf. ↑

14. Melissa Villarin, “California Community Colleges and Google Launch Nation’s Largest Education System Partnership to Equip Millions of Students for the Future Workforce,” California Community Colleges, (Sept. 10, 2025), https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/2025-ai-partnership-with-google. ↑

Date of Hearing: April 14, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Mike Fong, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2504 (

Author:Bauer-Kahan) – As Amended Ver:April 6, 2026

[Note: This bill is double referred to the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection and will be heard by that Committee as it relates to issues under its jurisdiction.]

SUBJECT: Community colleges: artificial intelligence: employment dislocation: pilot programs

SUMMARY: Requires, upon appropriation, the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges (CCCCO) to implement a pilot program on or before July 1, 2027, and to select up to 10 community college districts (CCD) to participate in the pilot program, as specified. Requires the CCCCO, on or before January 1, 2032, to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program, as provided. Specifically, this bill:

1. States that it is the intent of the Legislature to do the following:
   1. Support workers in California’s creative and entertainment industries, including film, television, music, touring, and live events, who have been or are at risk of being displaced by generative artificial intelligence (AI), including sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions, by providing structured reskilling and upskilling opportunities through the California Community Colleges (CCC);
   2. Ensure that a pilot program at the CCC is designed and implemented with meaningful partnership between CCC and labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives, so that curriculum and training models reflect the real tools, conditions, and career pathways of the workforce being served; and,
   3. Establish a coordinated, outcomes-driven model that CCC and workforce systems can replicate across sectors facing artificial intelligence-driven employment disruption.
2. Requires the CCCCO to establish a pilot program, and requires that the pilot program be developed in partnership with labor unions representing creative workers and with industry representatives.
3. Requires that, on or before June 30, 2027, the CCCCO establish eligibility criteria for community colleges seeking to apply to participate in the pilot program.
4. Specifies that the pilot program will be limited to up to 10 community college districts statewide, to be selected by the chancellor’s office. In selecting community college districts for participation in the pilot program, the CCCCO is encouraged to ensure that there is equitable access to the pilot program between the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.
5. Specifies that implementation of the pilot program will commence on or before July 1, 2027.
6. Requires, on or before January 1, 2032, the CCCCO to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program at campuses maintained by community college districts participating in the pilot program. Additionally,
   1. The report submitted must include, but not be limited to, the number of participants who completed the pilot program, disaggregated by student demographics.
   2. The report submitted pursuant to must include outcomes and legislative recommendations.
   3. The report submitted must be done in compliance with existing law, as specified.
7. Specifies that the provisions of this bill become operative only upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.
8. Sunsets the provisions on a date to be determined.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the CCC under the administration of the Board of Governors of the CCC, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The CCC is comprised of community college districts (CCD). (Education Code (EDC) Section 70900)
2. Creates for each CCD a board of trustees, known as the governing board, and authorizes the governing board to establish, maintain, operate, and govern each CCC within their district in accordance with state and federal law, as specified. The governing board may initiate and carry on any program, activity, or may otherwise act in any manner that is not in conflict or inconsistent with any law and that is not in conflict with the purpose of a CCD, as specified. (EDC Section 70902)
3. Existing law establishes the California Online Community College, under the administration of the board of governors, for specified purposes, and requires the college to develop a Research and Development Unit to, among other things, focus on using technology, data science, behavioral science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to build out student supports. (EDC Section 75000, et seq.)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.

COMMENTS: Purpose. According to the author, “AB 2504 supports and upskills professional staff within the creative and entertainment industries by creating the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program. The introduction and rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally reshaping California's creative economy and the careers within it. Capable of producing text, images, video, and audio that emulates the expressive works used to train it, GenAI is driving early but significant disruption across these fields. The scale of what is at stake is far from abstract, these concerns were central to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and a structural shift in production activity continues to deepen the challenge for the region's creative workforce.”

Th author continues, noting that “a January 2024 survey by CVL Economics projected that 203,800 entertainment jobs would likely be disrupted in the United States by 2026, including 62,000 in California, with sound engineers, voice actors, concept artists, and employees in entry-level positions at the greatest risk of displacement. As AI continues to reshape the landscape, the California Legislature has an opportunity to support the creatives who built their careers in these fields.”

Employment impacts of AI. The World Economic Forum released a white paper, Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030, in January of 2026. The white paper noted that AI has moved from experimentation to workflow integration, with the share of businesses using AI in at least one function increasing from 55% in 2022 to 88% in the latest estimates. According to the paper, “the adoption of these technologies promises systemic gains in productivity, but also raises critical questions about economic inclusion, values, trust and resilience.”

According to the World Economic Forum’s annual survey of over 10,000 executives globally, about 54% of respondents expect AI to displace existing jobs, and 24% said AI will drive the creation of new jobs. More than four in 10 executives surveyed expect AI to increase profit margins across businesses, and only slightly less said AI will increase accessibility (37%) and affordability (30%) of goods and services. Notably, only 12% expect AI to have a positive impact on wages, while 24% predict an increase in industry concentration.

The white paper posits four scenarios for the future of jobs in 2030:

1. Scenario 1: Supercharged Progress - AI advances rapidly, transforming industries, boosting productivity, and enabling widespread innovation. Many traditional jobs disappear, but new roles emerge quickly as people manage and collaborate with intelligent systems. However, governance, ethics, and social protections struggle to keep pace with the speed of change.
2. Scenario 2: The Age of Displacement - AI development outstrips the workforce’s ability to adapt, leading to rapid automation and widespread job loss. While productivity rises, social systems lag behind, causing unemployment, declining consumer confidence, and instability. Economies advance technologically but become increasingly fractured and unequal.
3. Scenario 3: Co-Pilot Economy - AI progresses steadily, with a focus on augmenting human work rather than replacing it. Human–AI collaboration becomes the norm, driving gradual but meaningful transformation across industries. Early investments in skills, infrastructure, and governance allow some economies to adapt and benefit more effectively.
4. Scenario 4: Stalled Progress - AI advances but is limited by a lack of workforce skills, resulting in uneven productivity gains. Benefits concentrate in regions and firms with expertise, while others fall behind, deepening inequality. Automation displaces routine jobs, demand rises for skilled trades, and overall economic growth remains constrained.

Community college work in AI: In September 2023, the Chancellor of the CCC released Vision 2030: A Roadmap for California Community Colleges, which included a description on the importance of engaging with AI in Strategic Direction 3, The Future of Learning. The Vision 2030 roadmap focuses on integrating AI and Generative AI to elevate teaching and learning. Key areas of investment include professional development, data infrastructure, evaluation and partnership capacity and demonstration projects.

In July of 2024, the Chancellor of the CCC released a report to the CCC Board of Governors titled Generative AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning The report includes a set of recommended actions. Chancellor Christian asserts that CCC must double down in “deepening human qualities of cooperation, ethical decision making, and emotional intelligence in a world of rapidly developing machine learning.”

The report specifically calls for a humans-centered approach, which includes:

1. Students, faculty, staff and administrators should be able to opt out, where appropriate, and have access to a person who can quickly consider and remedy problems they encounter. Measures should also be taken to ensure that there are humans in the loop when capabilities are designed, tested and used to achieve successful outcomes.
2. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should have equitable access to tools, training and solutions that minimize bias and improve outcomes.
3. Measures should be taken to empower students, faculty, staff, and administrators to have agency over how data about them is collected and used and set parameters that shield them from abusive data practices via built-in protections.
4. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should not face discrimination by algorithms and systems should be designed and used in an equitable way.
5. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should know that an automated system is being used and understand how and why it contributes to outcomes that impact them.
6. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should be protected from unsafe or ineffective systems.

The CCC has established the Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity to represent a strategic approach to supporting the CCC’s Vision 2030, including leading in innovation, harnessing the power of generative AI, public and private technology partnerships, and transforming the CCC’s ability to serve students as they move into an AI- powered workforce.

Arguments in support. William Morris Endeavor (WME) wrote in support, noting that “WME is a global talent agency that brings over 125 years of experience representing clients spanning film, television, music, sports, theater, books, comedy, fashion, brands, digital, and the full entertainment ecosystem…the history of the media business is a history of realignment that goes back to the transition from radio to TV, and silent films to ‘talkies.’ Artificial intelligence is reshaping the U.S. economy at a pace faster than previous technological transitions and, while AI promises productivity, growth, and global competitiveness, it also presents serious workforce disruption risks across all sectors, including the creative arts.”

Additionally, WME wrote that “California’s creative economy is both a defining feature of the state and a vital economic engine. Currently, California’s creative economy employs more than 760,000 workers with an average salary of $191,000 per year, accounting for roughly five percent of the state’s workforce. Yet a January 2024 CVL Economics study projected that 62,000 jobs in California could be disruptive by GenAI by 2026. The scale of what is at stake is not abstract; these concerns were a central issue in the 2023 Hollywood strikes and are at

the core of the 2026 labor negotiations… this legislative proposal will establish an exciting and forward-thinking workforce training program that supports the entertainment industry’s transition to the AI economy and ensures workers in California’s entertainment industry are prepared to meet the demands of employers as new technology transforms the entertainment industry and the jobs that fuel it.”

Committee comments. The pilot program proposed in AB 2504 (Bauer-Kahan) seeks to support workers that may be displaced by GenAI technology. The CCC have long been the first stop for Californians seeking to gain the education and skills necessary to thrive in an ever-changing economy, and are well-placed to support workers in the creative and entertainment industries.

Committee staff understands that drafting errors unintentionally included a second pilot program in the provisions of AB 2504. This analysis does not reflect that second pilot program, located in Section 2 of the bill. Furthermore, the Committee recommends, and the author has accepted, amendments that do the following:

1. Rename the Pilot Program in this bill to the Future of Creative Industries Pilot Program;
2. Incorporates the legislative intent listed in 1) above into the Pilot Program provisions listed in 2) above;
3. Requires the report to the Legislature to include a comprehensive list of the certificates or degrees that were awarded, student outcomes and job placement rates of graduates and certificate holders that participated in the pilot program;
4. Establishes that the provisions will sunset on January 1, 2033; and,
5. Strikes the language in Section 2 of the bill unintentionally creating a second pilot program.

Related legislation. AB 2544 (Gabriel, 2026) would require the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to establish and administer a pilot program to develop a model for delivering high-quality, workforce-centered artificial intelligence literacy instruction focused on careers in the entertainment industry. The bill would require the pilot program, among other things, to create a connected training pipeline that links learning directly to employment opportunities. This legislation is currently pending a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact.

AB 2487 (Ahrens, 2026) would establish the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Development Act (Act) to accomplish specified goals, including, among others, empowering and supporting community college instructors in using and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly in administrative and classroom settings, and strengthening the state’s AI and technology workforce pipeline by upskilling and educating all workers so they can benefit from AI. The author held AB 2487 in the Assembly Committee on Higher Education.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

William Morris Endeavor

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960