California legislature passes new round of AI bills; chatbot and independent audit provisions signed into law

The California legislature has again passed a batch of AI-related bills, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing several involving chatbots and independent audits, while the rest await his signature or veto. On employment, SB 947 prohibits employers from making disciplinary or termination decisions solely based on automated decision systems and requires human review; AB 1833 restricts workplace surveillance tools that use AI to identify employee emotions or collect neural data. On healthcare, AB 1979 requires licensed personnel to retain independent professional judgment, SB 503 requires developers to identify and mitigate bias impacts of CDSS, and SB 903 prohibits providing psychotherapy services through companion chatbots. On chatbots, SB 1119 (Adam's Law), signed on September 10, requires operators to conduct comprehensive risk assessments and independent child safety audits for child users, SB 867 imposes a 5-year sales ban on physical toys containing companion chatbots, and AB 1609 requires disclosure of non-human identity for customer service chatbots.