California Governor Vetoes AI Safety Bill

According to Cointelegraph, California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a controversial artificial intelligence (AI) bill, arguing that it would hinder innovation and fail to address the real threats posed by the technology. The bill, SB 1047, known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, was vetoed on September 30 after significant opposition from Silicon Valley. The proposed legislation aimed to mandate safety testing of AI models and implement other guardrails, which tech firms feared would stifle innovation. In a statement on September 29, Newsom criticized the bill for focusing too much on regulating existing top AI firms without adequately protecting the public from the real threats posed by new technology. He argued that the bill applied stringent standards to even the most basic functions of large systems, which he did not believe was the best approach to safeguarding the public. The bill, authored by San Francisco Democratic Senator Scott Wiener, would have required developers in California, including major companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google, to implement a 'kill switch' for their AI models and publish plans for mitigating extreme risks. Additionally, AI developers would have been liable to be sued by the state attorney general in the event of an ongoing threat from models like an AI grid takeover. Newsom stated that he had consulted with leading AI safety experts to help California develop workable guardrails that focus on creating a science-based trajectory analysis. He also ordered state agencies to expand their assessment of risks from potential catastrophic events stemming from AI development. Despite vetoing SB 1047, Newsom emphasized the need for adequate safety protocols for AI and stressed that regulators cannot wait for a major catastrophe before taking action to protect the public. The bill faced significant opposition from lawmakers, advisors, and major technology firms. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and companies like OpenAI argued that it would significantly hinder the growth of AI. Neil Chilson, head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, warned that while the bill primarily targeted models costing more than $100 million, its scope could easily be expanded to affect smaller developers as well. However, some tech leaders supported the bill. Billionaire Elon Musk, who is developing his own AI model called 'Grok,' was among the few in favor of the bill and broader AI regulations. In an August 26 post on X, Musk stated that 'California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill,' but acknowledged that supporting the bill was a 'tough call.'