California Governor Vetoes New AI Safety Bill

Gavin Newsom, California Governor, vetoed the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act (SB 1047), a new AI safety bill approved by the State Assembly a few weeks ago.

The AI safety bill had gone through multiple amendments and sparked big debates among tech giants as it would obligate tech companies to comply with safety measures and requirements to develop AI technologies.

While large companies and relevant figures in the industry like Elon Musk supported SB 1047, other tech giants like Google, Meta, and OpenAI opposed it.

“I am returning Senate Bill 1047 without my signature,” said Newsom in a public statement yesterday. “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 the use of sensitive data.”

The governor criticized the bill for affecting mostly companies developing large-scale models when, according to his statement,  small AI models can also have a big impact on society, and for its lack of “empirical evidence.”

According to TechCrunch, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi also opposed the bill and applauded Newsom “for recognizing the opportunity and responsibility we all share to enable small entrepreneurs and academia – not big tech – to dominate.”

State Senator Scott Wiener, author of SB 1047, also shared his public statement after Newson vetoed the bill on X: “This veto is a setback for everyone who believes in oversight of massive corporations that are making critical decisions that affect the safety and welfare of the public and the future of the planet.”

Wiener considered the veto a “missed opportunity for California to once again lead on innovative tech regulation,” but assured that they would continue to address AI safety: “We are not going anywhere.”