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Can AI fire you in California? Under SB 947, employers may not rely solely on an automated decision system to make a disciplinary or termination decision. AI may assist a human decision-maker; this is not a blanket ban on workplace AI. California enacted the measure, called the No Robo Bosses Act of 2026, on September 30, 2026.
What California’s SB 947 does
Governor Gavin Newsom’s September 30, 2026 signing announcement describes SB 947 as prohibiting employers from “only relying on AI” for decisions to discipline or terminate workers. The bill’s author, Senator Jerry McNerney, says an automated decision system may assist when human oversight and verification are involved. His office also says employers must inform workers if an automated decision system was used in a disciplinary or termination decision.
McNerney said in his signing announcement: “No worker should ever be fired or disciplined by a robo boss.” That statement captures the law’s central distinction: an automated system making the decision alone is different from a system assisting a human decision-maker.
What counts as a decision made by AI alone?
The official summaries support a practical distinction, but they do not establish the statute’s exact definitions or boundaries. If a system scores, recommends, or otherwise assists with a decision that a human reviews and verifies, that is not the same arrangement as relying solely on the system. The sources do not specify what level of human review is sufficient or how the law treats particular technologies.
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The senator’s office describes oversight, verification, and worker notification as part of the requirements. Exact notice timing and content are not established in the available official summaries, so employers and workers should consult the chaptered law or authoritative implementation guidance for those details.
SB 947 is not the separate AI-related layoff notice measure
California’s signing announcement also discusses a distinct requirement concerning mass layoffs, relocation, or termination caused by an AI system, and identifies SB 951 as legislation on technological displacement notice. Those matters should not be confused with SB 947’s restriction on relying solely on automated systems for discipline or termination decisions. The Governor’s announcement lists both bills among measures signed on September 30, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is not yet clear from the official summaries
The Governor’s announcement and the senator’s post-signing summary describe the law’s broad purpose, but do not settle several legal details. They do not establish the exact statutory definitions, which employers and workers are covered, exceptions, effective date, notice mechanics, remedies, or whether workers have a private right of action. The senator’s office lists the California Labor Commissioner, Attorney General, and local prosecutors as enforcement authorities, but that summary does not resolve the full enforcement framework.
McNerney’s office also cited a “recent estimate” of more than 550 so-called bossware products. The release does not identify the underlying estimator or the estimate’s publication year, so the figure is a sponsor-reported estimate rather than an independently verified count.
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