Artificial intelligence has rapidly moved from an experimental workplace tool to a core business function. Employers increasingly use technology to monitor performance, evaluate productivity, assist with personnel decisions, and identify opportunities for automation. California's response in 2026 was not to prohibit these technologies, but to regulate how employers use them and to require greater human oversight, transparency, and accountability.
Taken together, California's newest AI-related laws reveal a common theme: lawmakers are increasingly concerned about technology that monitors workers, makes decisions about workers, or replaces workers. The result is a collection of laws that will require employers to rethink not only their AI governance strategies, but also their broader approach to workplace surveillance, automated decision-making, and workforce planning.
California Is Drawing New Boundaries Around Workplace Monitoring
Several of this year's bills focus on how employers gather information about employees and the technologies used to monitor workplace activity.
AB 1883 prohibits employers from using AI-powered...
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