SHRM Testifies Before California Senate Panel on AI in the Workplace
On Oct. 23, the California Senate Select Committee on Economic Development and Technological Innovation, chaired by Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker, held a hearing in Sacramento to examine the impact of artificial intelligence on the state’s workforce. Representing SHRM was Tara Fournier, SHRM-SCP, deputy director of the SHRM California State Council and chief executive consultant at T4 HR Consulting, who urged lawmakers to lead responsibly by balancing innovation with fairness, transparency, and workforce readiness.
She emphasized SHRM’s belief that responsible innovation should be achieved through a balanced, risk-based approach that focuses on high-impact automated systems while allowing employers flexibility to adapt. Overregulation, she cautioned, could slow the adoption of tools that improve fairness and expand opportunity in the workplace.
Fournier also underscored the connection between AI and workforce readiness, calling for greater investment in lifelong learning, employer-led training, and public and private partnerships that help Californians build new skills.
SHRM looks forward to continuing to work with California lawmakers to ensure that as AI policy evolves, it does so with empathy, fairness, and inclusion — empowering every worker in every workplace across the state.
An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.
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