The Assembly Higher Education Committee sent SB 928 to the Assembly floor on a 10-0 vote Tuesday, advancing a proposal that would require California State University faculty employees and instructors of record to be human and meet the qualifications set by CSU trustees.
In a hearing recorded by the Assembly, the bill’s author said SB 928 is meant to create guardrails around CSU’s use of artificial intelligence in classrooms and on campuses while still allowing AI to be used as a support tool. The measure would apply to faculty employees including professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches, and would require the instructor of record for a course to be a person who meets the bill’s standards.
The author tied the legislation to CSU’s broader adoption of AI tools, citing a reported $17 million OpenAI contract announced in February 2025 and a later three-year renewal that was described as costing $13 million annually. The hearing summary said supporters argued the contract was done without faculty consent.
During discussion, one committee member asked whether the measure could reach support, clerical or administrative jobs. A response on the record said the bill does not include classified workers or administrators and was drafted to match the existing CSU faculty definition.
A committee member who said she had been an adjunct professor at San Diego State for almost 17 years also thanked the author and said the issue has become more important as higher education expands its use of AI.
The transcript of the hearing was partially garbled, but the vote result and core bill description were clear from the recorded proceedings.
