Rental housing providers who use artificial intelligence, virtual staging or other digital editing tools to advertise their properties would face new disclosure requirements under legislation headed to the governor.

AB 2025, by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, would require a person who uses a digitally altered image in an advertisement or other promotional material for rental property to clearly disclose on or next to the image that it has been altered. When the altered image is based on an actual photograph, the advertisement also would need to provide the original, unaltered image or a link, URL or QR code to it.

AB 2025 defines a digitally altered image as one generated entirely by AI or an existing image changed by or at the direction of a person using photo editing software or AI. Covered changes include adding, removing or changing elements such as furniture, appliances, paint color, landscape and other features. Routine edits such as cropping, lighting, white balance and color correction would not trigger the bill’s requirements as long as they do not change the representation of the property.

AB 2025 builds on last year’s AB 723, also authored by Pellerin, which added similar disclosure requirements for images used to advertise property for sale.

The Senate passed AB 2025 on Aug. 24, and the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments on Aug. 25, sending the bill to the governor. The governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto it.