With the signing of two bills on Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom is doing his part to crack down on AI after that spooky story about an AI researcher named Jacob Coxon quitting Anthropic and warning about how AI industry leaders think they might be hastening Armageddon. Oh, but it’s probably worth keeping in mind that the new California laws are well-liked by the AI industry.
As noted by Politico last month, Anthropic endorsed the bills. Anthropic’s chief rival, OpenAI, also announced its support for the bills in the hours before Newsom’s signing.
“We’ve reached a new chapter in AI capabilities, and that demands a new chapter for AI policy,” says the introduction of OpenAI’s statement, credited to Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Chief of Public Affairs.
When asked by Politico about Coxon’s concerns about out-of-control AI in particular, Newsom said, “The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public.” The federal government, Newsom said, should “step forward with robust, national regulations that match the urgency of this moment.”
State Senator Jerry McNerney SB 813 establishes an organization called the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission. The commission will be tasked with creating a set of voluntary AI safety standards.
Meanwhile, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1405 creates an AI risk auditor registry—a way of checking auditors’ credentials.
For what it’s worth, the statement from OpenAI’s Lehane also says the company “will advocate for compatible international approaches to measuring capabilities, managing risk, preserving human control, and determining when and how development should slow or stop, even if that means slowing the advancement of model capabilities.”
Anthropic’s statement to Politico points to its history of creating safeguards. Such work, Anthropic says, “is also why we believe the world would benefit from the industry adopting a lawful, verifiable way to work together to pace how we release powerful models.”
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