AI Public Safety Risk Legislation Sent to California Governor

A sweeping California bill that would establish first-in-the-nation rules around how artificial intelligence models are developed to prevent catastrophic risks like weapons development or virus outbreaks was cleared on Thursday by the state legislature and sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Lawmakers largely supported the measure (SB 1047) throughout the session despite significant tech opposition, with the California Assembly passing it Wednesday by a 41-7 vote. The state Senate concurred Thursday with a vote of 29-9. It now faces its biggest test in front of Newsom (D), who has stated he doesn’t want to overregulate the state’s dominant AI ...