California governor vetoes controversial AI bill

Department of Research, Strategic Studies and International Relations 03-10-2024

A contentious bill on artificial intelligence (AI) safety was vetoed on Sunday in the US state of California, drawing both praise and criticism from various stakeholders in the tech industry and advocacy groups.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed Senate Bill 1047 (SB1047), also known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, just one day before the deadline.

The bill, introduced by California State Senator Scott Wiener, would require large AI models to undergo safety tests to reduce the risks of “catastrophic harm” before their public release. The bill would also hold developers liable for severe harms caused by their models.

Governor Newsom, in a letter to state Senate members, explained his decision to veto the bill, emphasizing the importance of regulating the AI industry responsibly.

Newsom criticized the bill on several grounds, saying that it “magnified the conversation about threats that could emerge from the deployment of AI” and risked “curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favor of the public good.”

The vetoed bill, which the state legislature overwhelmingly passed in August, had garnered support from AI safety advocacy groups, labor unions, some enterprisers and Hollywood stars who called for safe and responsible AI development.

However, it faced strong opposition from numerous members of Congress and major AI companies, including Google, Meta, and OpenAI, who warned that the bill could stifle innovation and potentially undermine California’s and US competitiveness in the AI field.

Senator Wiener, the bill’s author, expressed disappointment at the veto, calling it “a setback in oversight of massive corporations.”

The Center for AI Safety Action Fund echoed this sentiment, describing the veto as “an unnecessary and dangerous gamble with the public’s safety.”

Teri Olle, director of Economic Security California Action, pointed to the influence of big tech companies on policymaking, suggesting that the bill’s failure demonstrates “the enduring power and influence of the deep-pocketed tech industry” to maintain the status quo.

On the other hand, Newsom’s decision has been welcomed by businesses and some leading experts in the AI research field.

The California Chamber of Commerce praised the veto in a social media post, arguing that the bill would have stifled AI innovation and put California’s position as a global innovation hub at risk.

Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and a critic of SB1047, supported the governor’s decision.

She emphasized that AI regulation should be based on “scientific evidence to determine how to best foster innovation and mitigate risks.”

Governor Newsom also announced on Sunday that his administration had enlisted Li and other leading AI experts to help the state create workable protections for AI deployment.