CDT Technology Letter 25-01 (web)
Citation
California Department of Technology (CDT). “Technology Letter 25-01: Information Technology (IT) Policies for Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).” February 2025. Signed by Liana Bailey-Crimmins, State Chief Information Officer and Director. https://www.cdt.ca.gov/policy/technology-letters/technology-letter-25-01/. Copy: raw/web/2026-11-09 CDT Technology Letter 25-01.md (original: .html beside it). Read 2026-11-09.
Bottom line
- The letter announces the state’s GenAI IT policies, effective Feb. 20, 2025. They are new sections 4986.1 to 4986.13 of the State Administrative Manual (SAM), with related forms and contract terms.
- The policies apply to all GenAI that a state entity buys or builds. They cover inventory, hosting, sandboxes, procurement, privacy, security, acceptable use and workforce training.
Background
A Technology Letter is how CDT announces new IT policy to state entities. This one cites Executive Order N-12-23 (Sept. 6, 2023) and the bills SB 896, AB 2013 and AB 2885. It lists each new or changed SAM section, State Information Management Manual (SIMM) form and contract term in one line.
Key claims
- “These policies apply to all GenAI procured or developed by a state entity.” (Background)
- “SAM 4986.5 GenAI Hosting: Mandates that any new, expanded, or refreshed GenAI must adhere to the Cloud Computing Policy, SAM 4983.1.” (Purpose)
- “SAM 4986.6 GenAI Proof of Concept (POC) and Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Mandates that all GenAI POCs be hosted in a CDT “sandbox” environment and all MVPs in a CDT- approved production environment.” (Purpose)
- “SAM 4986.3 GenAI Use Identification and High-Risk Inventory: Outlines the requirements to identify, track, and maintain an inventory of high-risk GenAI for annual reporting to the State legislature.” (Purpose)
- “SAM 4986.13 GenAI Workforce Training: Requires state personnel to complete the necessary GenAI training relevant to their roles to ensure the proper understanding and use of GenAI.” (Purpose)
- “All solicitations and contracts for IT and telecommunications goods and services require disclosure notification that applies to GenAI as a contract deliverable or when GenAI has a material impact on risk, functionality, or contract performance.” (Purpose, SAM 4986.9)
Evidence and method
A policy notice. It summarises each policy in one line and links the full SAM and SIMM texts. It gives no data on GenAI use in the state.
Limits
The letter gives summaries only. The full rules are in the SAM sections, which the library holds only for SAM 4983.1 (SAM 4983.1 cloud computing (web)). The letter is about state entities in the executive branch. It does not say whether the rules reach the University of California or research use.