California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a landmark bill on Sunday aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial-intelligence models, reports the AP. The decision is a major blow to efforts attempting to rein in the homegrown industry that's rapidly evolving with little oversight. The bill would've established some of the first regulations on large-scale AI models in the nation and paved the way for AI safety regulations across the country, supporters said. Earlier this month, the Democratic governor told an audience at Dreamforce, an annual conference hosted by software giant Salesforce, that California must lead in regulating AI in the face of federal inaction, but that the proposal could "have a chilling effect on the industry."
The proposal, which drew fierce opposition from startups, tech giants, and several Democratic House members, could have hurt the industry by establishing rigid requirements, Newsom said. "While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making, or [involves] the use of sensitive data," Newsom said. "Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions—so long as a large system deploys it. I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology." Newsom on Sunday instead announced that the state will partner with several industry experts, including AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, to develop guardrails around powerful AI models. Li opposed the AI safety proposal.
The bill's author, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, called the veto "a setback for everyone who believes in oversight of massive corporations that are making critical decisions that affect the safety and the welfare of the public and the future of the planet." Critics, meanwhile, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, argued that the bill would "kill California tech" and stifle innovation. It would have discouraged AI developers from investing in large models or sharing open-source software, they said. Newsom's decision to veto the bill marks another win in California for big tech companies and AI developers, many of whom spent the past year lobbying alongside the California Chamber of Commerce to sway the governor and lawmakers from advancing AI regulations. More here.
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