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Covers a pivotal 2024 US AI policy moment: the defeat of California's most ambitious AI safety legislation, relevant to understanding lobbying dynamics and the political landscape around AI governance.
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Importance: 62/100news articlenews
Summary
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047 in September 2024, a landmark AI safety bill that would have imposed extensive safety protocols on large AI systems. Newsom cited concerns about the bill's narrow focus on large models while ignoring smaller system risks, though lobbying by major tech firms and opposition from congressional leaders also played a role. Newsom did sign more targeted AI bills covering training data disclosure and AI-generated content watermarking.
Key Points
- •SB 1047 would have created some of the most extensive AI safety protocols in the US, but was vetoed by Governor Newsom in September 2024.
- •Newsom's stated rationale was that the bill focused too narrowly on large models and ignored risks from smaller or context-specific AI deployments.
- •Heavy lobbying by tech and VC firms, plus opposition from OpenAI, Meta, and House Speaker Pelosi, were cited as key factors influencing the veto.
- •The bill had evolved significantly post-introduction, gaining support from Anthropic and Elon Musk's companies, but remained divisive across the AI industry.
- •Newsom signed narrower AI bills requiring training data disclosure (AB-2013) and AI-generated content watermarking (SB-942) as alternatives.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Failed and Stalled AI Proposals | Analysis | 63.0 |
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### Newsletter Bytes
# Governor Newsom Vetoes Sweeping AI Regulation, SB 1047
Alex Friedland
October 17, 2024
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California Governor Gavin Newsom [vetoed a closely watched AI regulation](https://www.npr.org/2024/09/20/nx-s1-5119792/newsom-ai-bill-california-sb1047-tech), SB 1047, that would have implemented some of the country’s most extensive safety protocols for powerful AI systems. [As we covered last month](https://cset.georgetown.edu/newsletter/september-19-2024/#:~:text=California%20Governor%20Weighs%20Signing%20Far%2DReaching%20AI%20Regulation%20SB%201047), California’s status as home to many of the world’s top AI developers meant the bill’s progress was closely watched and hotly contested.
In [a statement](https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SB-1047-Veto-Message.pdf), Newsom wrote that while the bill was “well-intentioned,” it was too focused on the largest models and ignored the risks posed by smaller models or systems deployed in particularly risky environments. But [observers also pointed](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/369628/ai-safety-bill-sb-1047-gavin-newsom-california) to robust lobbying efforts by tech and venture capital firms, as well as opposition from prominent members of California’s congressional delegation, as key factors in Newsom’s decision.
The bill had undergone significant changes since its introduction in response to industry feedback, earning it the support of some major AI developers [like Anthropic and Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI CEO Elon Musk](https://www.axios.com/2024/08/28/california-ai-regulation-bill-divides-tech-world). But others, [like San Francisco-based OpenAI](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/21/24225648/openai-letter-california-ai-safety-bill-sb-1047), raised concerns about the bill’s impact on innovation and argued that AI regulation was best left to the federal government.
While Newsom vetoed SB 1047, he did sign [a number of more targeted AI bills](https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2024/10/decoding-california-recent-ai-laws/), including [AB-2013](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2013), which will require generative AI companies to disclose information about their training data, and [SB-942](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB942), a law that will require watermarking for AI-generated content.
**More:** [Senator Wiener Responds to Governor Newsom Vetoing Landmark AI Bill](https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/news/senator-wiener-responds-governor-newsom-vetoing-landmark-ai-bill) \| [Governor Newsom announces new initiatives to advance safe and responsible AI, protect Californians](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/29/governor-newsom-announces-new-initiatives-to-advance-safe-and-responsible-ai-protect-californians/)
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