The Headset That Reads When You're Stressed
California just banned workplace AI surveillance that collects neural data or recognizes emotional state. AB 1883, passed by the legislature August 2026, would be effective January 1, 2027 if signed. The bill establishes a penalty of up to $500 per violation (California AB 1883, 2025-2026 Regular Session, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1883 ). That means per employee, per use. The fines scale with the workforce. The ban isn't theoretical. It exists because the technology exists and employers were deploying it. EEG headsets marketed as "productivity monitoring." Cameras with emotion-recognition AI. Tools that claim to measure when a worker is concentrating, tired, or stressed. I'm autistic. I mask. A lot of us do. We've spent our lives learning to control what our faces show because neurotypical people read emotion wrong when we're just thinking. And now there's a device that's supposed to know when I...