California’s approval of SB 574 is emerging as one of the most consequential legal-industry developments of the year, even without a same-day court ruling attached to it. The bill would place clear limits on how lawyers use generative AI in legal work, including restricting delegation of legal practice to AI tools, requiring verification of AI-generated material, and imposing disclosure-related constraints in court filings.

At a high level, the measure reflects a simple but increasingly urgent principle: lawyers can use AI, but they cannot outsource professional judgment to it.

State lawmakers and regulators are continuing to fill the AI-policy vacuum, and the latest moves in Illinois and California could have immediate consequences for how lawyers, law departments, and neutrals use generative AI in practice.

Illinois recently enacted a broad AI framework, adding to the growing patchwork of state-level rules that can affect businesses well beyond state borders.