Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the No Robo Bosses Act on Wednesday, reversing a 2025 veto — and delaying the country's first ban on algorithm-only discipline until July 2027.
Senate Bill 947, written by Sen. Jerry McNerney, bars California employers from relying solely on automated decision-making systems to fire or discipline existing workers. If software is the primary tool, a human reviewer must independently corroborate the decision with other records: managerial evaluations, peer reviews, personnel files. Affected employees must get written notice that AI was used, a description of the data it saw, and a human contact who can explain the outcome. The law does not ban workplace AI. It requires a signature next to it.
Newsom vetoed a broader version last year. The narrower bill takes effect on July 1, 2027, nine months after the photo opportunity. He signed it as part of a labor-backed package that also limits restroom monitoring, emotion-reading tools, and neural-data collection, and he issued an order telling state agencies to keep saying "artificial intelligence" instead of the White House's "super intelligence." Lorena Gonzalez of the California Federation of Labor Unions called it a change in the national narrative. An OECD survey last year found 90 percent of U.S. managers said their firms already use at least one tool to instruct, monitor, or evaluate workers. Meta is fighting a July lawsuit alleging AI-assisted layoff rankings; the company has denied the claims.
The second-order delay is the product. California is first, and it still leaves a year of boss-ware with a human rubber stamp. McNerney told CNBC that no worker should be fired by a machine. The statute agrees — starting next July. Until then, the algorithm can still rank the list. Someone just has to sign it.
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