California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a landmark artificial intelligence (AI) safety bill that faced fierce opposition from major technology companies.
The legislation would impose some of the first regulations on artificial intelligence in the United States.
Newsom said the bill could stifle innovation and prompt AI developers to move out of the state.
Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s author, said the veto would allow companies to continue developing “extremely powerful technology” without any government oversight.
The bill requires state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models to be tested for safety.
This will force developers to ensure their technology includes so-called “kill switches.” If AI systems become a threat, a kill switch would allow organizations to isolate and effectively shut them down.
It would also mandate official oversight of the development of so-called “cutting-edge models,” or the most powerful AI systems.
Newsom said in a statement that the bill “does not consider whether an AI system is deployed in a high-risk environment, involves critical decision-making or uses sensitive data.”
“Instead, the bill imposes strict standards on even the most basic functionality—as long as large systems deploy it,” he added.
California is home to many of the world’s largest and most advanced artificial intelligence companies, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
