California Governor Newsom Signs Landmark Ai Safety Bill Sb 53

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 53, a first-in-the-nation measure that sets new transparency requirements on ample AI companies.

SB 53, which passed the authorities legislature 2 weeks ago, requires ample AI labs – including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind – to beryllium transparent astir safety protocols. It also ensures whistleblower protections for labor astatine those companies.  

In addition, SB 53 creates a system for AI companies and nan nationalist to study imaginable captious information incidents to California’s Office of Emergency Services. Companies also have to study incidents related to crimes committed without quality oversight, specified arsenic cyberattacks, and deceptive behaviour by a exemplary that isn’t required nether nan EU AI Act.  

The measure has received mixed reactions from nan AI industry. Tech firms person broadly based on that state-level AI argumentation risks creating a “patchwork of regulation” that would inhibit innovation, though Anthropic endorsed nan bill. Meta and OpenAi lobbied against it. OpenAI moreover wrote and published an unfastened missive to Gov. Newsom that discouraged his signing of SB 53.

The caller measure comes arsenic immoderate of Silicon Valley’s tech elite person move hundreds of millions into ace PACs to backmost candidates that support a light-touch attack to AI regulation. Leaders astatine OpenAI and Meta have successful caller weeks launched pro-AI ace PACs that purpose to back candidates and bills that are friends to AI. 

Still, different states mightiness look to California for inspiration arsenic they attempt to curb nan potential harms caused by the unmitigated advancement of specified a powerful emerging technology. In New York, a akin measure was passed by authorities lawmakers and is awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature aliases veto.  

“California has proven that we tin found regulations to protect our communities while besides ensuring that nan increasing AI manufacture continues to thrive,” Newsom said successful a statement. “This authorities strikes that balance. AI is nan caller frontier successful innovation, and California is not only present for it – but stands beardown arsenic a nationalist leader by enacting nan first-in-the-nation frontier AI information authorities that builds nationalist spot arsenic this emerging exertion quickly evolves.” 

The politician is besides weighing different measure – SB 243 – that passed some nan State Assembly and Senate pinch bipartisan support this month. The measure would modulate AI companion chatbots, requiring operators to instrumentality information protocols, and clasp them legally accountable if their bots fail to meet those standards.  

SB 53 is Senator Scott Wiener’s 2nd effort astatine an AI information bill after Newsom vetoed his much sweeping SB 1047 past twelvemonth amid awesome pushback from AI companies. With this bill, Wiener reached retired to awesome AI companies to effort to thief them understand nan changes he made to nan bill.