New California AI Law Requires Healthcare Providers to Keep Clinical Decision-Making Human

California has enacted a new law requiring healthcare providers using artificial intelligence to keep clinical decision-making human. AB 1979 , signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2026, requires a health facility, clinic, physician’s office, or office of a group practice to take reasonable steps to ensure that a licensed healthcare provider, acting within the provider’s scope of practice, retains the ability to exercise independent professional judgment when patient care is informed by a clinical decision support system. The law also prohibits these healthcare entities from using