Overview

• Sen. Aisha Wahab’s bill would bar companies from using device data—such as battery level or installed apps—to adjust prices with AI.
• The proposal cleared the California Senate in May and advanced out of an Assembly committee in July, and now awaits a full Assembly vote.
• A Consumer Watchdog report found ride-hailing apps charged higher fares to users with low phone battery, and ProPublica uncovered elevated tutoring rates in predominantly Asian ZIP codes.
• Uber and Lyft have denied manipulating prices based on device data, while the California Chamber of Commerce and some Republican legislators argue the measure overregulates commerce.
• The bill is one of roughly 30 AI-related measures under consideration as California positions itself at the forefront of state-level AI governance.