California legislation targets Amazon's AI warehouse bosses

A new California law designed to prevent the warehouse industry from overworking employees doesn't name a specific company. But the legislation's target is clear: Amazon, which has given machines unparalleled control over workers and is accused of using the technology to impose unreasonable demands on them. Authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, the bill prohibits the use of monitoring systems that thwart basic worker rights such as rest periods, bathroom breaks and safety. The legislation will help determine whether governments can regulate human resources software that's expected to play an increasing role in deciding who gets hired and fired, how much workers are paid and how hard they work. "This is just the beginning of our work to regulate Amazon & its algorithms that put profits over workers' safety," Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat, tweeted earlier this year.