California AI Regulation Bill Sparks Debate Among Tech Companies

According to Cointelegraph, legislators across the United States are working on implementing regulations to control the development and deployment of high-level artificial intelligence models. AI developer Anthropic has joined the discussion surrounding California senator Scott Wiener’s proposed bill, stating its “benefits likely outweigh its costs.” In a letter on Aug. 21 to California governor Gavin Newsom, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei mentioned that Senate Bill (SB) 1047 has been “substantially improved,” though some aspects remain “concerning or ambiguous.” Amodei noted that initial concerns about the bill potentially hindering innovation have been greatly reduced in the amended version. SB 1047, introduced by Wiener in February 2024, aims to mandate and standardize safety testing for the most advanced AI models, which either cost over $100 million to develop or require a set amount of computing power. According to the bill, AI software developers in California would need to provide outlines for methods to turn off the models in case of emergency, often referred to as a “kill switch.” Additionally, the bill would grant the state attorney general the ability to bring legal action against developers found to be noncompliant with the law. The bill was recently revised by Wiener, incorporating feedback from Anthropic and other tech companies to address some of the complaints from Big Tech. One significant revision included the removal of the creation of a government-led AI oversight committee. However, Wiener has been vocal about industry opposition to his bill. On Aug. 22, the senator responded to a letter from OpenAI to Governor Newsom opposing SB 1047. Wiener described OpenAI’s concerns as “unfounded,” “tired,” and “baseless,” emphasizing that the bill is essential for safeguarding public safety and national security. He expressed confusion over OpenAI’s current position, given its previous commitment to conducting such safety evaluations. Along with OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google and Meta have also sent letters of concern to Wiener. Meta claims that the bill threatens to make California less hospitable for AI development and deployment.