Today, Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, announced AB 1979, sponsored by the California Nurses Association, to address the rapid and largely unregulated integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare. The bill would ensure consumers’ privacy is protected and that the professional judgment of licensed clinicians cannot be replaced or circumvented by AI tools.
“Consumers deserve their data protected and trustworthy decisions made by licensed professionals for their healthcare. Voluntary commitments from private companies don’t go far enough. Californians deserve real accountability. As Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, I know that care requires compassion, empathy, and real-world judgment that cannot be captured in patterns and algorithms. Technology should assist human clinicians, not replace them. AB 1979 draws that line,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta.
Earlier this year, Microsoft launched Copilot Health, a consumer-facing AI service that is not HIPPA-complaint and connects to medical records from more than 50,000 U.S. hospitals and health providers; similar products have been launched by OpenAI and Anthropic. Meanwhile, last month more than 25,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and mental health therapists walked off the job in a one-day strike, with Northern California health workers citing Kaiser’s moves to use AI in patient screening and its resistance to contract language limiting AI from performing clinical functions.
AB 1979 directly responds to the concerns held by consumers.
- 93% of Americans have a concern about AI in healthcare, and the majority said AI makes them trust healthcare less.
- More than 80% said their trust would increase if clear accountability measures were in place.
- 77% of Americans are concerned about the privacy of personal medical information provided to AI tools; including majorities across every age group.
- 59% of Californians do not trust companies to build and use AI systems in ways that protect their personal data.
- 79% of Californians are concerned that AI systems may reinforce existing racial and gender biases in medicine — a concern borne out by research and felt acutely by communities that already face barriers to equitable care.
With all the recent developments in the overlap of the AI and health fields it is clear the law has not kept pace. AB 1979 would:
- Clarify that existing medical data privacy law, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, applies when AI systems query, summarize, or organize patients’ health records, ensuring real legal accountability rather than voluntary company commitments.
- Prohibit health facilities, clinics, and physician’s offices from using or deploying AI for any activity that requires the professional judgment of a licensed healthcare clinician.
- Prohibit the use of AI to direct, guide, supervise, or instruct unlicensed personnel in performing functions that require a professional license.
“Nurses are on the frontlines of protecting our profession and ensuring safe patient care from the tech industry’s untested and unregulated A.I. systems,” said Sandy Reding, RN and a president of California Nurses Association. “With the rapid introduction of AI systems into hospitals, we need California legislators to join Asm. Mia Bonta and implement necessary guardrails like AB 1979. Patient safety, medical privacy, and the integrity of health care practice in California are on the line.”
The bill does not ban AI in healthcare. AB 1979 is focused narrowly on preventing AI from substituting for licensed human judgment in clinical settings and ensuring that when consumer AI products touch patients’ most sensitive data, the law is unambiguous about their obligations.
AB 1979 is a continuation of Assemblymember Bonta’s efforts to protect consumers as AI increasingly integrates into our healthcare system. AB 489, signed into law by Governor Newsom last year, prohibits AI systems from misrepresenting themselves as licensed health professionals, such as nurses, doctors, or psychologists.
If signed into law the bill would go into effect on January 1st, 2027.
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Assemblymember Mia Bonta represents California’s 18th Assembly District encompassing the East Bay including Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.
Courtesy photos can be found HERE.