AI safety bill blocked by California governor

Governor Newsom expressed concerns that the bill might hinder innovation and potentially drive AI developers out of California.

Senator Scott Wiener, who drafted the bill, criticised the decision, stating that the veto permits companies to continue developing "extremely powerful technology" without any government oversight.

The bill aimed to impose safety testing on the most advanced AI systems and included a requirement for developers to incorporate a ‘kill switch’. This mechanism would allow organisations to shut down an AI system if it became a threat. It also called for mandatory oversight for the development of ‘Frontier Models’, or the most powerful AI technologies.

In his statement, Newsom pointed out that the bill failed to differentiate between AI systems based on the environments they are deployed in, their involvement in critical decision-making, or the handling of sensitive data.

"The bill does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data," Newsom said.

"Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions – so long as a large system deploys it," he added.

Despite blocking the bill, Governor Newsom stressed the importance of protecting the public from the risks posed by AI. He announced plans to collaborate with experts to develop safeguards for the technology.

California, home to some of the most prominent and innovative AI companies, including OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT, plays a crucial role in the global technology landscape. Any regulatory changes in the state could have widespread effects both nationally and internationally.

Senator Wiener expressed his disappointment with the veto, arguing that it leaves AI companies free from any meaningful regulatory oversight in the US: " This veto leaves us with the troubling reality that companies aiming to create an extremely powerful technology face no binding restrictions from U.S. policymakers, particularly given Congress’s continuing paralysis around regulating the tech industry in any meaningful way.”

Several major technology firms, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, had opposed the bill, warning that it could hamper the development of a key emerging technology.