Law / United States / 
California
Health Care Professional Title Protection for Artificial Intelligence Act (AB 489)
Cal. Bus. and Prof. Code Sections 4999.8 and 4999.9
In force since .
An AI sector rules rule binding private bodies.
- Obligation class
- Prohibition
As of .
What it requires
- Do not use a term, letter or phrase in the advertising or functionality of your AI or generative AI system, program, device or similar technology that indicates or implies that the care, advice, reports or assessments it offers are provided by a natural person who holds the appropriate license or certificate to practice as a health care professional (Section 4999.9(c)).
- Do not use in the advertising or functionality of your AI or generative AI system a term, letter or phrase that the Business and Professions Code reserves to licensees of a health care profession to indicate or imply a license or certificate you do not hold; those prohibitions are enforceable against the person or entity that develops or deploys the system (Section 4999.9(b)).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text, as of .
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionNo
Criminal exposure note
Existing licensing acts such as the Medical Practice Act and the Dental Practice Act make it a crime for an unlicensed person to use reserved words, letters or phrases implying a license; the chapter makes those provisions enforceable against a person or entity that develops or deploys an AI system using them, which the Legislative Counsel's Digest describes as expanding the scope of existing crimes.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
The appropriate health care professional licensing board or enforcement agency has jurisdiction over a violation, and the board may pursue an injunction or restraining order as authorized by Section 125.5 (Section 4999.9(a)).
What this law does
AB 489, Chapter 615 of the Statutes of 2025, added Sections 4999.8 and 4999.9 to the Business and Professions Code, effective .
The use of a term, letter or phrase in the advertising or functionality of an AI or generative AI system, program, device or similar technology that indicates or implies that the care, advice, reports or assessments it offers are provided by a natural person who holds the appropriate license or certificate to practice as a health care professional is prohibited.
Any provision of the division that prohibits specified terms, letters or phrases implying a health care license without holding it is enforceable against a person or entity that develops or deploys a system or device that uses them in the advertising or functionality of an AI or generative AI system. Each use of a prohibited term, letter or phrase is a separate violation. A violation is subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate health care professional licensing board or enforcement agency. The licensing board may pursue an injunction or restraining order as authorized by Section 125.5.
When LexLint raises it
When your app profile says your app deploys a chatbot.