A California bill seeking to create new safety rules for artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up a divide in Silicon Valley, drawing top lawmakers into the debate in a rare foray by national policymakers into Golden State politics.
California Senate Bill 1047, known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, would require powerful AI models to perform safety testing before they could be released to the public and would hold developers liable for severe harms caused by their models.
The bill must pass the state legislature by the end of the week to reach California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) desk.
Major technology firms, AI startups and researchers are split over whether the legislation would stifle innovation on the rapidly developing technology or put in place much-needed guardrails.
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who owns an AI company called xAI, came out in support of SB 1047 Monday, saying it was a “tough call” and acknowledging that his decision might “make some people upset.”