California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced on September 30, 2026, that he had signed SB 947, the No Robo Bosses Act, establishing human oversight requirements for automated firing and disciplinary decisions.
The restrictions are scheduled to become operative on July 1, 2027. Employers will be barred from relying solely on automated decision systems to fire or discipline employees. When a system’s output is the primary basis for a decision, a human will have to corroborate it.
Human review must support the decision
SB 947 puts a check between an automated recommendation and an employment decision. Companies can continue using automated decision systems, but their output will have to withstand human scrutiny when employers primarily rely on it for discipline or dismissal.
Reviewers can examine the data used to produce the system’s output or other supporting information. The permitted evidence includes:
- Supervisory or managerial evaluations.
- Personnel files and employees’ work.
- Peer reviews and witness interviews.
If the output cannot be corroborated, or the reviewer finds it inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, the employer cannot use it to make the decision.
Affected employees must receive a separate written notice when they are told of the decision. It must disclose the employer’s primary reliance on the automated system, confirm human review and provide a human contact.
Employees can also request a meaningful description of their own data used by the system, with other people’s personal information anonymized.
The enforcement provisions authorize the California labor commissioner and public prosecutors to act against violations.
A return after Newsom’s earlier veto
In his October 2025 veto of SB 7, Newsom said the earlier proposal imposed unfocused notification requirements and overly broad restrictions on employers’ use of automated systems. He argued that legislation should address specific abuses without sweeping in innocuous tools.
SB 947’s notice requirement is tied to a disciplinary or termination decision for which an employer primarily relied on an automated system. Employees receive that notice when the decision is communicated.
Business opposition persisted. The California Chamber of Commerce argued that SB 947 would impose impractical requirements, add compliance costs and discourage employers from using automated tools.
Newsom’s office also announced measures addressing other ways technology affects workers. The September 30 package included requirements to disclose AI’s role in covered mass layoffs and restrictions on workplace surveillance tools in bathrooms.
Those measures followed legislation signed earlier in September addressing independent AI oversight. SB 813 establishes a framework for certifying organizations that assess AI systems and models for safety and risk. AB 1405 creates a state registry for AI auditors and sets standards for their independence and transparency.