Cervantes’ Bill to Prevent California State University Faculty from Being Replaced by AI Signed by Governor
(SACRAMENTO) – Senate Bill 928 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) was signed into law yesterday evening by Governor Gavin Newsom. The bill will help prevent California State University (CSU) faculty from being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).
Sponsored by the California Faculty Association (CFA) and the California Federation of Labor Unions, SB 928 will require that a faculty member and an instructor of record for a course must be human beings; it will also protect the quality of education for students and teaching professionals, including CSU faculty.
“California faculty provide a necessary human element in teaching,” said Senator Cervantes. “SB 928 protects that personal connection and the guidance that CSU faculty deliver. AI should be used to improve education, not to replace hardworking CSU faculty.”
In recent years, Senator Cervantes authored two other bills that provide similar safeguards at the California Community Colleges. These were Assembly Bill 2370 (2024) and Senate Bill 241 (2025), both of which make clear that human beings must hold faculty and teaching positions. Governor Newsom signed both bills into law.
“As institutions face growing pressure to deploy AI bots in place of qualified faculty, this legislation helps us to protect faculty jobs, preserve academic integrity, and ensure that students receive instruction from real educators who know them, challenge them, and invest in their growth,” said Margarita Berta-Ávila, President, California Faculty Association. “This bill, championed by Senator Cervantes and signed by Governor Newsom, sends a clear message: California stands with its educators and refuses to let AI replace human exchange at the heart of learning.”
"There is no question, students learn best from human educators, and AI will never be a replacement for their empathy, nuance, and expertise. SB 928 protects California's world-class higher education and good union faculty jobs in universities and college classrooms across California," said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. "We're thankful to Senator Cervantes for fighting for these commonsense safeguards on AI and Governor Newsom for signing SB 928 to protect educators and students."
CFA is a union of 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches across the CSU system that advocates for quality public higher education, fair working conditions, social justice, and expanded opportunities for the students and communities served by the CSU. The California Federation of Labor Unions represents more than 1,300 labor unions and 2.3 million union members.
You can read more about Senate Bill 928 here.
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