California Governor Gavin Newsom has blocked a landmark artificial intelligence (AI) safety bill that faced strong opposition from major technology companies.
The proposed bill would impose some of the first regulations on AI in the United States.
Newsom said the bill could stifle innovation and encourage AI developers to move out of state.
Sen. Scott Wiener, who authored the bill, said the veto would allow companies to continue developing “very powerful technologies” without government oversight.
The bill would require cutting-edge AI models to undergo safety testing.
Developers would then have had to ensure their technology included a so-called “kill switch.” A kill switch allows organizations to isolate and effectively switch off an AI system if it becomes a threat.
Public oversight will also be required for so-called “frontier models,” or the development of the most powerful AI systems.
Newsom said in a statement that the bill “does not consider whether AL systems are deployed in high-risk environments or involve critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data.”
“Instead, this bill applies strict standards to even the most basic functions, so long as large systems implement them,” he added.
At the same time, Newsom announced a plan to protect the public from AI risks and asked leading experts to help develop safeguards for the technology.
Newsom has also signed 17 bills in the past few weeks, including one aimed at cracking down on misinformation and so-called deepfakes, which include images, videos and audio content created using generated AI.
California is home to many of the world’s largest and most cutting-edge AI companies, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
The state’s role as a hub for many of the world’s largest technology companies means that legislation regulating the sector will have major national and global implications for the industry.
Weiner said the decision to veto the bill would allow AI companies to “receive binding restrictions from U.S. policymakers, especially given Congress’ continued paralysis regarding meaningful regulation of the tech industry.” I won’t be able to receive it,” he said.
Efforts in Congress to impose safeguards on AI have stalled.
Big tech companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, voiced opposition to the bill, warning that it would hinder the development of critical technology.
