The bill has passed the California Senate and its initial Assembly committee, but its future remains uncertain, with California Governor Gavin Newsom's signature not guaranteed. Newsom has previously vetoed AI regulation and has expressed concerns about over-regulation driving startups away from California. However, he also acknowledges the need for some form of regulation in the AI industry.
Key takeaways:
- Over 140 machine-learning startups and venture capitalist Y Combinator have signed an open letter opposing a proposed AI safety law in California, arguing that it could stifle innovation and harm the state's ability to retain AI talent.
- The bill, California Senate Bill 1047, would impose guardrails and transparency requirements on large AI models, and would require firms to make a positive safety determination before initiating training of covered models.
- The bill has passed in the California Senate and its initial Assembly committee, but it is not guaranteed to receive the signature of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has expressed concerns about over-regulation of AI.
- Y Combinator and the startups argue that the bill's language is vague and could be applied too broadly, and oppose the "AI kill switch" included in the bill, which they say could function as a de facto ban on open source AI development.