California — State Senator Jerry McNerney introduced the “No Robo Bosses Act” on Thursday, a legislative effort aimed at regulating artificial intelligence in California workplaces. The proposed SB 7 seeks to mandate human supervision of AI systems, also known as automated decision-making systems (ADS), used in employment-related decisions.
The legislation would prevent employers from relying solely on ADS for hiring, promotions, disciplinary actions, or terminations. Additionally, it prohibits using these systems to predict future employee behavior based on personal data. Senator McNerney emphasized the need for safeguards against the potential misuse of AI, stating that it should remain a human-controlled tool.
Sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, the “No Robo Bosses Act” aims to establish a framework for worker protection. The bill outlines requirements for human oversight, an appeals process for AI-driven decisions, and restrictions on the types of employee data used by ADS. It also prohibits the systems from inferring protected statuses.
Concerns over the rise of “bossware” and the potential for algorithmic bias prompted the legislation. Examples cited include AI-driven wage and scheduling in gig work, as well as erroneous terminations resulting from ADS errors. The bill, co-authored by Assemblymembers Sade Elhawary and Isaac Bryan, represents a move to ensure fairness and transparency in AI-driven employment practices.
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