In the name of maximum workplace efficiency, many supervisors already track plenty of things about their employees. However, newer AI-powered surveillance tools can go much further by inferring workers’ emotions or even collecting data from their nervous systems. Many people already feel stressed enough knowing their boss could be tracking their bathroom breaks or computer activity, so having their emotions monitored as well might sound like a dystopian nightmare. California lawmakers are now looking to draw the line on this sort of workplace surveillance.
AB 1883 Seeks to Regulate Emotion-Recognition AI Surveillance in the Workplace
Under AB 1883, employers would be limited in how they use AI technologies in the workplace to keep Sauron’s eye on their workers. According to this bill, employers would not be allowed to use AI surveillance tech to “make inferences or predictions about an individual’s emotional state or collect neural data.” If Governor Newsom signs this, anyone who violates this law could be penalized, with fines per violation up to $500.
“Wait, they were doing that?” is the question from a concerned Redditor and likely reflects plenty of people unaware that companies are doing their best to get in our heads. Back in 2022, many protested Zoom’s push to use emotion-recognition technology. But now AI technology could be implemented in workplace cameras to analyze workers’ facial expressions, vocal tones, heart rates, and other biometric signals as a means to assess whether they’re stressed or engaged.
Bloomberg Law reports that there’s emerging wearable technology like earbuds and headsets that can measure the mental states of their users. In other words, your boss doesn’t need to have a camera pointed at your face the entire day; he could just have you wear a simple-looking headset during your shift.
That being said, AB 1883 wouldn’t ban AI use in surveillance, but it would regulate how employers could use it on their workforce. After all, your boss keeping what’s essentially a mood tracker on you as a subordinate isn’t just creepy or dystopian. It would jeopardize people’s right to their privacy, and that’s exactly what California’s AB 1883 aims to protect.
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To conclude, many people’s bosses already watch them like a hawk while they work, but what if they could now analyze them? A camera just keeps an eye on how often someone’s behavior changes, like how often they take breaks or check their phone. On the flip side, emotion-recognition AI could interpret how a person feels and judge how focused or engaged they are at work. California lawmakers hope to make sure an employer doesn’t have the right to this very personal information.
