Landmark nurse-sponsored bills regulating A.I. pass Legislature

Staff report

National Nurse magazine - July | Aug | Sept 2026 Issue

Union nurses with California Nurses Association (CNA) celebrated the final passage through both houses of the California Legislature of two CNA-sponsored bills with landmark guardrails on the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in health care, now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature.

The bills, A.B. 1979 and A.B. 2575, protect patients, defend nurses' professional judgment, and hold corporations accountable for the A.I. they deploy. The bills passed over the intense opposition of a coalition of hospital corporations, health plans, and technology industry groups that spent months lobbying to weaken or kill them. This legislation will set the standard for and serve as a model for other states, industries, and regulatory bodies for patient and worker protections against A.I. tools and technology.

“Nurses fought for these bills because we are the last line of defense for our patients, and our employers know it,” said Sandy Reding, RN and president of California Nurses Association. “Every day, nurses catch the errors that would otherwise reach the bedside. Now the corporations want machines to overrule us, and they want us to stay quiet about it. Our patients trust us. The State of California trusts us with a license. Governor Newsom should trust us too, and sign these bills.”

A.B. 1979, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (CA-18th District), ensures that health care entities cannot use A.I. to replace the clinical judgment of a licensed health care professional and also requires companies offering A.I. health applications that access medical records to comply with California’s medical confidentiality laws.

“Technology should not replace human decision-making in health care,” said Bonta. “A.I. is rapidly integrating into our health care system and reshaping our personal experience with it. Protecting patient safety, keeping our professional workforce engaged, and preserving the integrity of health care requires that we not rely exclusively on A.I. to do things quicker and cheaper. A.B. 1979 does that by ensuring medical records stay protected when accessed through direct-to-consumer health chatbots, and that licensed health care professionals retain the ability to exercise professional judgment when a clinical decision support system informs their care of a patient."

A.B. 2575, authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (CA-20th District), affirms the clinical judgment of health care workers and their right to override unsafe and inappropriate A.I. outputs without fear of retaliation, and it ensures that A.I. developers and deployers cannot easily evade accountability for harm caused by their systems, including not being able to scapegoat a human health care worker who engaged with the A.I. tool as a defense against liability.

“Most Californians want their nurse — not a robot — making the final call,” said Ortega. “That’s what A.B. 2575 does.”

"No machine can replace the judgment, compassion, or human touch of a nurse," said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. "Artificial Intelligence tools are not licensed, not subject to health care privacy laws, and not required to take a Hippocratic Oath to 'do no harm.’ A.B. 2575 ensures A.I. tools are controlled by humans and do not replace our jobs."

Gov. Newsom has until Sept. 30, 2026 to sign or veto the legislation. 

Update: On Sept. 30, 2026 Gov. Newsom signed A.B. 1979 into law and vetoed A.B. 2575.