Last week at the California State Capitol, Harveer Saini, Founder and President of the National AI Youth Council, stood before the Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety to testify in support of Senate Bill 11, the Artificial Intelligence Abuse Protection Act. This bill, authored by Senator Angelique Ashby, takes direct aim at one of the most dangerous forms of AI misuse today — deepfakes and digital impersonation.
SB 11 passed the Senate Public Safety Committee with unanimous support, 6 to 0. Harveer testified alongside other advocates including Robert Jay Eleveld Jr. of TransparencyCoalition.ai, emphasizing how cross-sector collaboration is crucial in the fast-moving world of AI policy. Harveer also had the opportunity to meet Senator Ashby in person and thanked her for her leadership on the bill.
SB 11 does more than just update legal definitions. It ensures that digital replicas and AI-generated content are covered under existing impersonation laws. The bill gives victims legal recourse in both civil and criminal courts, requires platforms to provide clear consumer warnings about the misuse of AI tools, and mandates that California’s judicial system develop new rules for assessing AI-generated evidence in court.
Speaking before the committee, Harveer shared the reality that many students today are quietly enduring.
“A lot of people don’t realize that deepfakes are incredibly easy to make and accessible, even for students my age. One of my own closest friends fell victim to an AI-generated deepfake impersonation online that was spread on social media platforms for weeks. I watched her fall into severe depression while remaining powerless to do anything to help.” – Harveer Saini, National AI Youth Council
Harveer’s testimony wasn’t just technical. It was deeply personal. He painted a clear picture of how widespread and damaging this issue has become for young people, and how urgent the need for action is.
“Experiences like hers are not isolated. They reflect a larger issue faced by students across the country.”
As the founder of one of the nation’s largest youth-led AI policy organizations, Harveer made sure lawmakers understood that young people are not just affected by AI, but they are leading the fight to ensure it’s used responsibly. SB 11 is one step toward that future.
National AI Youth Council 