California governor blocks landmark AI safety bill
California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a significant artificial intelligence (AI) safety bill that faced strong resistance from major tech companies. The proposed legislation aimed to introduce some of the first AI regulations in the U.S.
Governor Newsom argued that the bill might hinder innovation and cause AI developers to leave the state.
Senator Scott Wiener, who sponsored the bill, criticized the veto, saying it leaves companies free to develop a “highly powerful technology” without government oversight.
The bill would have mandated safety testing for the most advanced AI models and required developers to include a “kill switch” to shut down AI systems if they posed a threat. It also sought to enforce official oversight on the development of powerful AI systems, known as “Frontier Models.”
In his statement, Governor Newsom expressed concern that the bill failed to consider whether an AI system was being used in high-risk environments, involved critical decisions, or handled sensitive data.
“Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions – so long as a large system deploys it,” he added.
At the same time, Mr Newsom announced plans to protect the public from the risks of AI and asked leading experts to help develop safeguards for the technology.
Over the last few weeks, Mr Newsom has also signed 17 bills, including legislation aimed at cracking down on misinformation and so-called deep fakes, which include images, video, or audio content created using generative AI.
California is home to many of the world’s largest and most advanced AI companies, including the ChatGPT maker, OpenAI.
The state’s role as a hub for many of the world’s largest tech firms means that any bill regulating the sector would have a major national and global impact on the industry.
Mr Wiener said the decision to veto the bill leaves AI companies with “no binding restrictions from US policy makers, particularly given Congress’s continuing paralysis around regulating the tech industry in any meaningful way.”
Efforts by Congress to impose safeguards on AI have stalled.
OpenAI, Google and Meta were among several major tech firms that voiced opposition to the the bill and warned it would hinder the development of a crucial technology.
