The 10 Latest Artificial Intelligence Articles

California’s New Workplace TRO Protections Take Effect January 1, 2027

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:07:03 -0500

California employers will soon be able to more easily obtain temporary restraining orders (TROs) to protect the workplace and any reasonably identifiable group or class of employees. The law is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. Quick Hits A California law taking effect on January 1, 2027, will allow employers to obtain TROs covering conduct directed against a workplace or employees generally, broadening the existing law that only allowed employers to apply on behalf of specific employees who suffered a credible threat of violence. The new law allows employers to seek TROs on behalf of a “reasonably identifiable group or class of employees” without being required to “name any individual employee as a protected party.” Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1961, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on September 30, 2026, expands California Code of Civil Procedure Section 527.8 to allow businesses to seek a TRO applying to the workplace and to a reasonably specified group or class of… Read the complete article here... © 2026, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., All Rights Reserved.

California Governor Signs Array of Employment Bills, Vetoes Menopause Protected Category Bill

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:52:45 -0500

Since late June 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law more than twenty employment-related bills that will affect employer operations in California, covering topics such as workplace artificial intelligence and surveillance, discrimination protections, leave expansions, agricultural labor standards, and immigration-related retaliation. Below is an overview of some of the new laws. Quick Hits Governor Newsom signed the substantial majority of employment-related bills passed in the 2025-2026 California legislative session, touching on artificial intelligence and workplace surveillance, pay equity enforcement, leave expansions, agricultural labor standards, workplace violence prevention, and immigration-related retaliation. The governor vetoed AB 1940, which would have added menopause and related conditions to the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s (FEHA) definition of sex. Most of the new laws take effect January 1, 2027, though several carry different operative dates.… Read the complete article here... © 2026, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., All Rights Reserved.

Government Use of AI to Evaluate Proposals Comes Under Scrutiny

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:53:47 -0500

If an agency used AI to evaluate your proposal, can you see that report? A recent Court of Federal Claims decision says yes, even if the agency claims it didn’t rely on it. During an evaluation, the government used an AI platform to review offerors’ proposals and then argued that those AI findings did not belong in the administrative record. The Army claimed that the reports were not “useable” and “never entered into the contract file or [were] utilized in the decision-making process.” The U.S. Court of Federal Claims still rejected that position in TRAX International Corp. v. United States, No. 26-796 (publicly reissued on September 22, 2026). The court explained why all AI-generated evaluations that were considered had to be included in the record. The distinction driving that ruling is important for contractors: An agency’s consideration of an AI evaluation is not the same thing as its reliance on that evaluation. Simply saying the AI did not influence the award did not justify… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

The Legal Industry's AI Challenge Is No Longer Adoption. It Is Implementation.

Lexitas — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:44:01 -0500

Across industries, organizations are rapidly adopting AI amid mounting competitive pressure and concerns about falling behind. As law firms and legal departments adopt and invest in AI at a remarkable pace, most lawyers are still asking foundational questions. What is it? How do I use it? Why do I need it? That disconnect is not a problem of FOMO, speed, or adoption. It's an implementation issue. The critical tension between these competing pressures defines the legal industry’s current AI challenge. Many organizations rushed to adopt AI before establishing training, workflow design, review habits, and governance structures needed to use it responsibly. This gap persists for several reasons. New technologies often arrive in organizations faster than the norms governing their use can take shape. Social media policies were rolled out long after Facebook and Twitter had arrived in law firms. AI, in particular, has seen quick adoption by attorneys because it is so intuitive to use.… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Lexitas

We Get Privacy — Episode 23: How “Bad Actors” Exploit AI-Enabled Recruitment Systems [Video, Podcast]

Jackson Lewis P.C. — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:30:48 -0500

Fake applicants, fraudulent recruiters, and AI-enabled deception are creating real-time security, compliance, and reputational risks for employers. We Get Privacy cohosts Damon Silver and Joe Lazzarotti examine the issues from both sides of the hiring process, providing practical steps employers can take to verify candidates, strengthen safeguards and third-party relationships, and respond effectively when suspicious conduct arises. Jackson Lewis P.C. © 2026

Court Evaluates AI-Related Provisions in Discovery Protective Orders

Greenberg Traurig, LLP — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:56:10 -0500

As generative AI becomes more common in litigation workflows, courts are increasingly being asked to address how AI tools may be used with confidential discovery materials. A recent decision from the District of Colorado provides insights into one court’s approach to generative AI in discovery. The ruling distinguishes between public consumer AI tools and enterprise platforms with specified safeguards, while addressing proposed provisions requiring approval before new AI tools may be used. Areas of Disagreement Regarding AI Tool Use In this consumer dispute, the parties agreed that discovery material was confidential. After a hearing, they even agreed on a cutting-edge artificial intelligence provision for their protective order. The agreed-upon terms established standard safeguards: No public dumping: A strict ban on uploading confidential data to generic, consumer-grade AI platforms. Secure tools only: Permitting platforms that explicitly block model training, prevent third-party… Read the complete article here... ©2026 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. All rights reserved.

California’s 2027 Employment Laws: More Rules, Higher Stakes

Proskauer Rose LLP — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:55:29 -0500

Fall has arrived, and Sacramento once again has supplied California employers with something scarier than Halloween ghouls: another round of workplace legislation. This year’s harvest includes restrictions on artificial intelligence, expanded leave rights, and steeper penalties. There is even a temporary reprieve from last year’s “stay-or-pay” restrictions. (Apparently, some regulations need a little regulating themselves.) Here is what employers should know. Unless otherwise noted, the laws take effect January 1, 2027. Legislation Summary & Impact on Employers AB 1331Elhawary Bathroom Breaks Get Additional Privacy Protections. This legislation generally prohibits employers from using workplace surveillance tools to monitor employees in workplace bathrooms and permits employees to leave carried surveillance devices behind when entering. Employers should review wearable devices, badges, and tracking policies against the new requirements. AB 1697Kalra A “Stay-or-Pay”… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Proskauer Rose LLP.

California Enacts Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Data Centers

Greenberg Traurig, LLP — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:59:06 -0500

On Sept. 21, 2026, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of seven bills into law, establishing what the state has characterized as the nation’s most comprehensive regulatory framework governing data center development and operation. The legislation generally focuses on four areas: Expanded operational, energy, and water-use reporting; Increased scrutiny of electricity and water consumption; Enhanced environmental review requirements for data center projects; and New utility cost-allocation mechanisms intended to verify that data center operators bear the infrastructure and energy costs associated with large data center loads, rather than residential and other nonparticipating ratepayers. The legislation reflects growing national attention to the resource, infrastructure, and community impacts of large-scale data center development. As discussed in our prior GT Alerts, similar issues have recently been the subject of legislative, regulatory, and public-policy discussions in… Read the complete article here... ©2026 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. All rights reserved.

New California Laws Regulate Employers’ Use of AI in the Workplace

Varnum LLP — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:20:54 -0500

California employers face significant new requirements governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. On September 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of laws regulating employer use of AI. Most of these laws take effect as soon as January 1, 2027, giving employers only a few months to review their AI tools, workplace surveillance practices, policies, and layoff procedures to prepare for the new requirements and potential civil penalties. AB 1883: California Bans AI-Powered Brain and Emotion Monitoring Employers will be prohibited from using an AI-powered “workplace surveillance tool” to: Recognize, infer, or predict an individual employee’s emotional state; or Collect “neural data.” The prohibition applies even if the information is never used to make an employment decision. The bill broadly defines “workplace surveillance tool” as a system that collects employee data, communications, biometrics, or behavioral information other than through direct… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Varnum LLP

When the Productivity Monitor Becomes the Boss: California’s No Robo Bosses Act and Employee Monitoring Platforms

Jackson Lewis P.C. — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:40:40 -0500

California has enacted SB 947, the No Robo Bosses Act. It adds new Labor Code requirements for employers that use automated decision systems (ADS) to make disciplinary and termination decisions, and it takes effect July 1, 2027. Importantly, the No Robo Bosses Act makes clear that the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) also must be taken into account when certain automated decisionmaking technologies are used. So, when applying this new law, organizations should consider not only this new law and their use of employee monitoring, performance management platforms and technologies which have entered the market over the last several years, but also the application of other regulatory and contractual obligations they may have, in particular the CCPA and similar privacy and data security laws. Are monitoring platforms “automated decision systems”? SB 947 defines an ADS as any computational process derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or AI that produces… Read the complete article here... Jackson Lewis P.C. © 2026