AB 1609 Ensures Californians Can Reach a Real Person Instead of Endless Hold Times and AI Loops
SACRAMENTO, CA - Democratic Caucus Chair and Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur's (D-Hollywood) bill AB 1609, the Right to Human Customer Service Act, passed the California Senate and received final concurrence in the Assembly today, sending the bill to California Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. Sponsored by the Communications Workers of America, District 9, AB 1609 ensures consumers can access human customer service support — generally within 15 minutes — and requires businesses to disclose when consumers are interacting with artificial intelligence rather than a human representative.
"Technology should make our lives easier—not trap people in endless phone trees, AI chat loops, and hours-long hold times when they need real help," said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. "During the pandemic, I spent hours on the phone trying to get medication for my immunocompromised mother. I eventually drove to the pharmacy drive-thru just to show them that I was still sitting on hold. And my story is one of thousands. No one should have to go through that to get help for themselves or someone they love. AB 1609 is about restoring a basic level of dignity and accountability to customer service and making sure technology serves people—not the other way around."
For millions of Californians, bad customer service is more than an annoyance. Someone trying to refill a prescription, fix a utility account, resolve a health care problem, change a flight after a cancellation, or correct an unexpected charge can spend hours navigating automated systems that cannot understand or resolve their problem—and make it nearly impossible to reach someone who can.
As artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of customer service, those frustrations risk becoming even more common. AI and automated systems can be useful tools for quickly handling routine requests, but they cannot always provide the judgment, flexibility, or empathy needed to resolve complicated or urgent problems. AB 1609 does not prohibit businesses from using AI or automated customer service. Instead, it ensures those technologies do not become a barrier between consumers and meaningful human assistance.
Under AB 1609, large businesses serving California consumers must provide access to human customer service during normal business hours and connect consumers with a human representative — generally within 15 minutes — of a request, whether the consumer is seeking assistance online or by phone. The bill also requires businesses to clearly disclose when consumers are interacting with AI, prohibits AI systems from being represented as human, limits extended hold times after a call is answered, and requires businesses offering telephone customer service to prominently display their customer service phone number online.
"Consumers deserve to know and request human support when they are dealing with large corporations," said Frank Arce, Vice President, CWA District 9. "It's more effective, efficient and is better for privacy rights. Many of our union members are the first and most important line of contact with consumers and we take pride in resolving issues when someone reaches out for help. Technology should not be used to the detriment of consumers and workers."
AB 1609 now heads to Governor Newsom for consideration.
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur serves as the Democratic Caucus Chair for the California State Assembly and represents the 51st Assembly District, which includes Universal City, Hollywood, Hancock Park, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and other portions of Los Angeles.
CONTACT: Vienna Montague, (916) 319-2051, Vienna.Montague@asm.ca.gov