California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a package of laws that prevents employers from relying exclusively on artificial intelligence to fire or discipline workers. The measures place human oversight at the center of employment decisions as algorithmic systems take on a larger role in workplace management.
Employers must also state in mass-layoff notices when an action is caused entirely or substantially by AI or similar systems. The rules do not prohibit companies from automating work or replacing certain tasks with technology, but they establish requirements around how consequential workforce decisions are made and disclosed.
Separate provisions target employee monitoring. Employers will be barred from using surveillance tools in workplace restrooms, while workers will be able to leave wearable monitoring devices outside those areas under the conditions set out in the law. Another measure prohibits AI systems from inferring an employee’s emotional state from biometric data.
The package also addresses AI use in the legal profession. Lawyers cannot fully delegate legal work to AI and are required to verify court filings, including citations produced by automated systems. The laws add new guardrails at a time when AI is moving beyond office-task automation and into decisions that can directly affect jobs and privacy.
