California — AI Gap Index

11%

3/28

AI Gap Index

1/10

Schools

1/8

Workforce

0/6

Governance

1/4

Access

Schools 1/10

D1 AI literacy curriculum exists in schools 1 AB 2876 (signed Sep 29, 2024) requires the IQC to incorporate AI literacy into K-12 curriculum frameworks at the next revision; framework update in progress for 2025-26 school year; partial because binding mandate is on the IQC at revision, not yet a direct school curriculum requirement.

D2 Curriculum is binding law or mandate 0

D3 Ethics component included in curriculum 0

D4 Teacher training mandated and funded before rollout 0

D5 Dedicated funding attached to the requirement 0

Workforce 1/8

D6 Employers legally required to train all employees 0

D7 Training must cover ethics and critical evaluation 0

D8 Pre-redundancy training obligation exists 0

D9 Workers have rights when AI used in employment decisions 1 AI in employment bills active in 2026 session; some worker notification protections; not yet comprehensive ^{[1], [2]}

Civil Service & Governance 0/6

D10 Civil servants working with AI must receive training 0 Governor Newsom signed EO N-5-26 (March 30, 2026) directing DGS and CDT to develop AI vendor certification and procurement standards within 120 days; no dedicated AI regulatory body yet established; certification process pending

D11 Minimum training standard is defined 0

D12 Enforcement mechanism exists with named authority 0

Public Access 1/4

D13 Free or publicly funded AI literacy resources available 0

D14 Digital infrastructure support for schools and institutions 1 ConnectED and digital equity programmes provide some school infrastructure support ^{[1], [2]}

Sources

Index history

May 13, 2026 3/28 AB 2876 (signed 2024): IQC mandated to incorporate AI literacy into K-12 curriculum frameworks; dim1 0→1 (partial, framework in progress).

April 6, 2026 2/28 Refresh: EO N-5-26 (March 30, 2026) directs development of AI procurement certification standards; no dedicated AI governance body yet established so dim 10 remains 0; 20+ AI laws effective Jan 2026 (SB 942, AB 2013) but no change to scored dimensions

March 17, 2026 2/28 Initial scoring from research archive