Newsom signs AI transparency bill prioritizing safety

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure Monday that volition make caller transparency measures for ample AI companies, including nationalist disclosure of information protocols and reports of captious information incidents.

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said Senate Bill 53 volition make “commonsense guardrails” to guarantee groundbreaking innovations don’t sacrifice information and transparency amid the accelerated maturation of AI technologies. Newsom said the measure strikes the close equilibrium of moving with the artificial quality companies portion not “submitting to industry.”

“California has proven that we tin found regulations to support our communities portion besides ensuring that the increasing AI manufacture continues to thrive,” Newsom said successful a statement.

The measure was introduced this twelvemonth aft Newsom vetoed a broader measure past year, which was besides authored by Wiener. That bill, SB 1047, was supported by Elon Musk and salient AI researchers but was opposed by Meta and OpenAI.

In his lengthy veto connection past year, Newsom called SB 1047 “well-intentioned” but added that it was not the “best attack to protecting the nationalist from existent threats posed by the technology.” In punting the measurement past year, Newsom announced that his medication would convene a moving radical of AI leaders and experts to make much workable protections that became the ground for SB 53.

The caller instrumentality volition necessitate companies to disclose their information and information protocols and hazard evaluations. It mandates reporting of captious incidents — specified arsenic cyberattacks oregon unsafe behaviour by autonomous AI systems — to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

Cal OES would statesman publishing yearly reports successful 2027 that anonymize and aggregate captious information incidents it receives. SB 53 besides strengthens whistleblower protections for employees who study violations.

The lawyer wide successful California volition beryllium capable to bring civilian penalties of up to $1 cardinal against companies that interruption the caller law.

“With a exertion arsenic transformative arsenic AI, we person a work to enactment that innovation portion putting successful spot commonsense guardrails to recognize and trim risk,” Wiener said successful a statement.

The measure was opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress, a tech manufacture association.

“This exhaustive attack compels developers to allocate important clip and resources toward preparing for hypothetical risks alternatively than addressing actual, demonstrable harms,” wrote the Chamber of Progress.