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California’s big AI regulation bill is headed to Gavin Newsom
webcalmatters.org·calmatters.org/economy/technology/2024/08/ai-safety-bill-...
SB 1047 was a high-profile 2024 California AI safety bill; Newsom ultimately vetoed it in September 2024, making this article a key moment in ongoing US AI governance debates.
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Summary
This CalMatters article covers California's SB 1047, a landmark AI safety bill that passed the state legislature and was sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. The bill would require developers of large AI models to implement safety measures and conduct risk assessments before deployment. It represented one of the most significant state-level AI regulatory efforts in the United States.
Key Points
- •SB 1047 passed the California legislature and awaited Governor Newsom's decision on whether to sign or veto the bill.
- •The bill targeted large AI models above a compute threshold, requiring safety testing and the ability to shut down dangerous systems.
- •Supporters argued it was necessary to prevent catastrophic AI harms; critics including tech industry groups warned it could stifle innovation.
- •The bill was authored by State Senator Scott Wiener and backed by some AI safety researchers and organizations.
- •California's decision was seen as a bellwether for AI governance nationwide, given the state's outsized role in the AI industry.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act | Policy | 66.0 |
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Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat in the California Assembly, is the author of a controversial bill requiring safety tests for large AI systems, which has cleared the legislature and is headed to the governor’s desk. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters
**In summary**
A California bill requiring makers of large AI systems to test them for potential harm cleared the Legislature today. It could still face a veto by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California lawmakers approved a [controversial bill](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202320240sb1047) that requires companies that make or modify powerful forms of artificial intelligence to test for their ability to enable critical harm to society.
Following a 32-1 vote in the Senate in May, the Assembly voted 48-15 to pass the bill late Wednesday afternoon, and this morning the Senate voted to [concur](https://www.senate.ca.gov/citizens-guide/glossary-terms#:~:text=Concurrence,formation%20of%20a%20conference%20committee.) with amendments. Whether the landmark bill becomes law is now up to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Under Senate Bill 1047, companies that spend $100 million to train an AI model or $10 million to modify one must test the model for its ability to enable cybersecurity or infrastructure attacks or the development of chemical, biological, radioactive, or nuclear weaponry.
Eight members of Congress who represent California districts earlier this month took the unusual step of [urging Newsom](https://democrats-science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2024-08-15%20to%20Gov%20Newsom_SB1047.pdf) to veto the bill. It’s not clear if he will do so. In May, at a generative AI symposium required by an executive order he signed, Newsom said California must respond to calls for regulation but avoid overregulation. California is home to many of the dominant AI companies in the world.
[Powerful interests lined up in favor and in opposition to the bill](https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2024/08/ai-regulation-showdown/). Opposition has come from companies including Google and Meta, ChatGPT maker OpenAI, startup incubator Y Combinator, and Fei-Fei Li, an advisor to President Joe Biden and co-organizer of the generative AI symposium ordered by Newsom. They argue that costs to comply with the bill will hurt the industry, particularly startups, and discourage the release of open source AI tools, since companies will fear legal liability under the bill.
Whistleblowers who used to work at OpenAI, and Anthropic, a company cofounded by former OpenAI employees, support the bill. Also in favor of the bill are [Twitter CEO Elon Musk](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1828205685386936567), who helped start OpenAI, and frequ
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