California signs the No Robo Bosses Act: no firing or disciplining by AI alone
Governor Newsom signed SB 947: employers may not fire or discipline workers based solely on AI decisions; human review and notice required from July 1, 2027.
California Governor Newsom signed SB 947, the No Robo Bosses Act (authored by State Senator Jerry McNerney): employers may not fire or discipline workers based solely on automated AI decision systems, must keep a human-review step and notify employees; the law takes effect July 1, 2027. It reverses Newsom’s earlier veto of SB 7.
Facts
- Core provision: termination and disciplinary decisions may not be left entirely to automated systems; human review and employee notification are required.
- Timeline: signed by Newsom in late September, effective July 1, 2027; last year’s vetoed SB 7 was its predecessor.
- Scope: California employers — the largest state economy and the densest concentration of tech employers in the US.
- Sourcing note: consistent across IT之家’s report, CNBC and the California legislative database; enforcement details await labor-department rules.
Editorial take
“AI recommends, a human signs” just turned from best practice into legal duty — HR automation products serving California employers need a real, auditable final-decision step. Set it against the federal Human Control Over AI Act proposal: California has now written “human control” into law for the employment context first. Teams building employee monitoring, algorithmic management or automated scheduling should treat July 2027 as the compliance deadline.