Executive Order N-5-26 trusted AI procurement (web)
Citation
Governor Gavin Newsom, Executive Order N-5-26, Executive Department, State of California, signed March 30, 2026, attested by Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber. https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/3.30-FINAL-Trusted-AI-Procurement-EO-N-5-26_ATTESTED.pdf. Original: raw/web/2026-11-09 Executive Order N-5-26 trusted AI procurement.pdf. Read 2026-11-09.
The original is a scanned PDF with no text layer, so its Markdown copy is empty. This page quotes the three page images of the original.
Bottom line
- The order tells two departments to propose new vendor certifications for AI procurement within 120 days. They are the Department of General Services (DGS) and the California Department of Technology (CDT).
- Vendors would attest to safeguards against illegal content, harmful bias and civil-rights violations.
- It also tells the Government Operations Agency (GovOps) to give state employees vetted GenAI tools and to expand AI training. CDT, the Office of Data and Innovation (ODI), DGS and CalHR take part.
Background
Executive Order N-5-26 is a Governor’s executive order of March 30, 2026. It follows Executive Order N-12-23 of Sept. 6, 2023, on generative AI (GenAI). It has five numbered orders. Each has a deadline of 120 days, except the review of federal supply chain designations. The order says it creates no enforceable rights.
Key claims
- “WHEREAS public procurement represents one of the most powerful tools available to governments to shape market behavior and encourage responsible innovation” (recitals, p. 1)
- “Within 120 days of the issuance of this Order, the Department of General Services (DGS) and the Department of Technology (CDT) shall submit recommendations to the Governor for new certifications that may be incorporated into state contracting processes, where consistent with existing procurement statutes and regulations, allowing entities seeking to do business with the state of California to attest to and explain their policies and safeguards to protect public safety while preventing the misuse of their technologies” (order 1, p. 2)
- “The CDT State Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) shall review any new designations of companies as supply chain risks by the federal government. If the CISO concludes that the designation is improper, DGS and CDT will jointly issue guidance ensuring that departments and agencies can continue to easily procure from that company.” (order 2, p. 2)
- “Facilitate employee access to vetted GenAI tools for general use cases with appropriate privacy and cybersecurity safeguards, and in accordance with procedures specified in the Budget Act of 2025” (order 4a, p. 2)
- “Expand trainings on emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, leveraging partnerships with industry and nonprofit partners” (order 4e, p. 3)
- “This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California” (p. 3)
Evidence and method
A signed executive order. It gives directions and deadlines, not data. The recitals state that California is “home to 33 of the 50 top artificial intelligence companies” without a source.
Limits
The order does not name CalCompute, research compute or the University of California. It does not give the content of the certifications; DGS and CDT were to propose them. The library does not hold the recommendations that the 120-day deadlines asked for. The Markdown copy has no text, so a search of raw/ does not find this order’s words.