Compliance Stuff

On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, “ Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence .” For employers, this type of high-profile religious guidance related to AI is likely to shape how some employees understand the moral permissibility of using AI tools at work, and may contribute to requests for accommodations from those who object to using AI on religious grounds . This is not legal theory. It is already happening. See Sarah E. Needleman, She won a religious exemption from using AI at work. The Pope’s remarks could fuel similar appeals , Business Insider (June 5, 2026). As a result, employers find themselves at the crossroads between (relatively) new legal precedent and new technology. What Changed After Groff ? For years, many courts treated undue hardship in the context of religious accommodations as anything more than a minimal cost or burden. However, in Groff v. DeJoy , 600 U.S. 447 (2023), the U.S. Supreme C...

Artificial intelligence is already changing how employers make staffing decisions. Some companies are using AI to improve efficiency. Others are using automation to reduce headcount, delay hiring, or restructure work. California lawmakers are now paying attention. Senate Bill 951 would require employers with more than 100 employees to provide 90 days’ advance notice when AI or automation results in the loss of 25 or more jobs. The bill also would require employers to notify the state when they stop hiring for a position because AI or automation has taken over that work . The bill calls that notice a “technology hiring disruption notice.” That requirement would be a significant expansion of traditional layoff notice obligations. Existing laws generally focus on actual job losses. SB 951 would focus not only on employees who lose jobs, but also on positions that disappear because technology replaces the need to hire. Even if SB 951 does not become law in its current form, the bill is wor...

Colorado lawmakers have completed their hotly anticipated rewriting of the state’s landmark artificial intelligence (AI) law . While the new law shifts compliance from a risk-based to a transparency-based approach, it maintains significant notice-and-disclosure obligations for employers (referred to as “deployers” in the law), requiring them to disclose to employees and job applicants when an AI tool was used to make an adverse employment decision. Quick Hits SB 26-189, Colorado’s new law “concerning the use of automated decision-making technology in consequential decisions,” mandates that employers disclose the use of “automated decision-making technology” (ADMT) when making adverse employment decisions. The law replaces the original Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act with a focus on specific notice and recordkeeping obligations for employers starting January 1, 2027. Employers must provide a clear pre-use notice of ADMT’s application and provide a disclosure to employees or job app...

In response to concerns about the rapidly changing economy and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market, the White House is encouraging employers to adopt AI tools and train workers to effectively leverage them, as evidenced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s new guidance to promote “AI literacy.” Quick Hits The DOL’s AI Literacy Framework defines essential skills for effectively using and evaluating generative AI technologies in the workplace. The framework encourages employers to provide hands-on training to ensure all employees possess baseline AI literacy skills to engage with AI tools responsibly and effectively. The framework outlines foundational content areas and key principles for effective training, including experiential learning and the integration of complementary human skills alongside AI competencies. On February 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration published  Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 07-25 ,...