Andrea Chavez Authored LAW.COM’s “Artificial Intelligence in the California Workplace: What Employers Need to Know”

Andrea Chavez, Senior Counsel at Conn Maciel Carey LLP, was authored LAW.COM’s “Artificial Intelligence in the California Workplace: What Employers Need to Know.”

The following is an excerpt from the article:

Artificial intelligence has quietly become a fixture of California workplaces—screening resumes before a human eye ever lands on them, evaluating facial expressions, tone, and language to predict job fit, generating performance scores that inform raises and promotions, and flagging employee behavior for potential discipline. The scale of this shift is striking. A recent study found that 74% of U.S. employers now use online tracking tools to monitor work activities, including real-time screen tracking and web browsing logs, yet only 22% of employees report knowing they’re being monitored at all.

For years, employers deployed these tools with minimal regulatory guardrails. That era is ending.

California has emerged as the nation’s most aggressive regulator of workplace AI. In the 2025 legislative session alone, lawmakers introduced over 60 AI-related bills, reflecting the state’s push to address emerging risks across employment, privacy, health care, and beyond. Approximately 21 were signed into law. Now, a new wave of legislation is working its way through Sacramento that could add sweeping new requirements before year’s end.

The appetite for regulation reflects broad public support. Recent studies, including one from TechEquity, show that Californians overwhelmingly favor laws governing AI, particularly in the employment space to protect privacy, civil rights, and anti-discrimination principles. The legislature’s message is clear: AI tools can be powerful, but they cannot replace human oversight, and transparency is not optional.

Click here to read the full article on LAW.COM (subscription required).