California's Office of Data and Innovation has launched AskCA, an AI-powered digital assistant designed to help residents find state and local government services without having to understand how agencies are organized. The pilot arrives as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs two laws that change how AI models are verified and who can audit them.
AskCA is meant to move residents away from traditional web searches and toward a single tool that explains services, handles logins, and connects department offerings across life events like job searches, starting a business, family services, and disaster recovery.
"Californians should not have to understand how government is organized just to get basic help," ODI Director Jeffery Marino said in a press release. "This digital assistant moves from traditional web search to a vision of a service-integrated tool, explaining services, streamlining logins and unifying department services into a single experience."
Built after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires
ODI developed the tool in response to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which killed residents, destroyed property, and left survivors facing a thicket of recovery paperwork across multiple agencies. The pilot's next phase will focus on refining the tool's outputs, and ODI is recruiting beta testers. The only requirements: testers must be at least 18 years old and live in California.
The initiative reflects a broader push across state governments to apply AI to constituent services, a shift that raises questions about accuracy, accessibility, and accountability. Agencies weighing similar projects can review resources on AI for Government before committing to a vendor or building in-house.
Two new laws target AI verification and auditing
Newsom signed Senate Bill 813 and Assembly Bill 1405. SB 813 creates an independent framework for verifying AI models. AB 1405 establishes a state registry for AI auditors and sets standards for the practice.
Together, the laws give California a formal mechanism for checking what AI systems actually do and a list of qualified people to check them. That matters for any agency that buys or builds AI tools, since verification and audit requirements will shape procurement and deployment decisions. Policy staff tracking these requirements can find structured guidance in the AI Learning Path for Policy Makers.
Why this matters for government employees
If your agency is considering an AI assistant, a chatbot, or any automated decision tool, California's new laws signal where oversight is heading: independent verification of models and a registry of auditors who meet state standards. AskCA shows what a service-integrated assistant looks like in practice, but the audit and verification requirements in SB 813 and AB 1405 will apply well beyond pilot projects. Program managers should expect to document how their AI tools were tested and who reviewed them, and procurement teams should plan for verification as a line item, not an afterthought.
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