California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of first-in-the-nation laws to protect workers and consumers from artificial intelligence, alongside an executive order permanently declaring that Artificial Intelligence be called "Artificial Intelligence" in California.
"Super intelligence is clearly not coming from the White House – that's why California continues to lead. AI should expand opportunity – not come at the expense of workers and families," Newsom said. "As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the center, ensuring we all have a voice in the decisions shaping their future."
The workplace legislation prohibits employers from relying solely on AI when making disciplinary or termination decisions, requires them to disclose when a mass layoff, relocation or termination is caused by an AI system, and bans workplace surveillance tools in bathrooms. It also requires California public higher education institutions to train students, faculty and staff on AI, and bars lawyers from handing core legal work such as drafting briefs to AI.
"Workers across California have demanded that our state lead the way in regulating AI in our workplaces. And today, we see that begin to happen," said California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO President Lorena Gonzalez, speaking on SB 947, SB 951, AB 1331 and AB 1883. "By signing these four first-in-the-nation bills, Governor Newsom has shown the country how we can begin to put guardrails on AI at work to ensure human oversight over this technology, limit surveillance, and put workers first."
On healthcare, the new laws ensure doctors and licensed providers can use their own professional judgment when AI or clinical decision tools are used in patient care, and require developers of those tools to take reasonable steps to reduce known or predictable bias.
Further measures strengthen transparency by prohibiting deletion of digital watermarks, updating the California AI Transparency Act, and making clear that public comments at local government meetings must come from real people, not AI bots. Others update civil and criminal laws to protect likeness rights against deepfakes and require gene synthesis companies to verify customers and check genetic material sent for research on diseases such as Polio and Ebola.
The announcement follows the Governor's signing of SB 813, establishing a framework for independent verification organizations assessing AI systems for safety and risk, and AB 1405, creating a state registry for AI auditors. An earlier executive order convened experts to provide, within two months, a guide to reinforce California's AI safety and security laws, with proposals under consideration including independent safety plans for frontier AI companies and an emergency "kill switch" for frontier models.