Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that will prevent Artificial Intelligence from taking staff and faculty jobs at Cal States. The California Faculty Association and the California Federation of Labor Unions sponsored the bill, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.
Democratic State Senator Sabrina Cervantes created SB 928 in response to the Cal State AI-Empowered Initiative announcement in February of last year. The goal of the program was to contribute to the growing demand for AI jobs, according to the release.
READ MORE: Cal State system AI initiative sparks faculty concerns regarding privacy, lack of prior consultation
Through collaboration with the biggest tech companies, the Cal State system made AI training available to all students, staff and faculty. These included but were not limited to Adobe, OpenAI, Google and the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Thirty-two of the 50 top AI companies are based in California.
“California faculty provide a necessary human element in teaching,” Cervantes wrote in a press release. “[The bill] protects that personal connection and the guidance that [Cal State] faculty deliver. AI should be used to improve education, not to replace hard working [Cal State] faculty.”
Students voiced their support for the bill, sharing that the human-to-human connection with professors was vital to their success.
“I don’t control the world but it would be great to keep human connection as much as possible,” said Vivian Barret, environmental management junior. “I don’t want to be taught by AI, being able to speak with your professor or a human being is essential.”
Susana Andrade, political science freshman, expressed her appreciation for her high school teachers.
“In high school, I had great relationships with teachers or at office hours. I like this bill. It’s sad we had to implement this law,” Andrade said.
In 2025, the Cal State system conducted a survey with 94,060 responders from 22 universities and the Chancellor’s Office. According to the survey, 65% of student respondents shared their skepticism towards AI and its benefits on student education.
Cal Poly offers different AI hubs mentioned in the Cal State press release. The bill will still allow faculty and staff to use AI tools that help them provide for the student body.
“While certainly there’s room for artificial intelligence to contribute to our classrooms, human faculty are still necessary,” said Mike Fong, the bill’s co-author and state assembly member in a hearing.
The California Federation of Labor Unions put together a 2026 legislative agenda of different bills to propose new labor standards against AI. They ranged from human oversight for electrical and gas infrastructure to not allowing workers to use AI to find personal information on workers.
“Our job is to protect workers and protect worker jobs,” said Erin Foote, vice president of organizing for the California State University Employees Union and Cal Poly staff member. “You need to have a human being in the end to have a just and safe society.”