Observed Signal · Sep 30, 2024 · Policy Update · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
California Governor Newsom Vetoes AI Bill SB 1047
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, a high-profile bill that would have regulated the development of large AI models in the state. The bill, authored by State Senator Scott Wiener, would have made companies developing AI models responsible for implementing safety protocols to prevent "critical harms." It would have applied only to models costing at least $100 million to train and using 10^26 FLOPS of compute. By comparison, the EU AI Act classifies models above 10^25 FLOPS as systemic risk. SB 1047 was opposed by many in Silicon Valley, including OpenAI, Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, while incorporating proposals from Anthropic. In his veto statement, Newsom argued the bill set strict standards for basic functions and did not account for real-world deployment. His office noted he had signed 17 other AI-related bills in the past 30 days. Wiener called the veto "a setback" for AI safety oversight.
California is home to leading AI companies; the veto of SB 1047 is a major regulatory decision affecting AI development, deployment, and safety standards, with broad consequences for AI-driven technologies used across AdTech and enterprise software.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, the state's controversial AI safety bill, on September 29, 2024.
- SB 1047 would have applied to AI models with training costs of at least $100 million and compute usage of 10^26 FLOPS.
- The EU AI Act considers models above 10^25 FLOPS to pose systemic risk.
- OpenAI, Meta's Yann LeCun, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna were among the bill's opponents.
- Newsom's office said he signed 17 other AI-related bills in the preceding 30 days.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Many in Silicon Valley rejected SB 1047, including companies like OpenAI....”
“Opponents included Meta's leading AI scientist Yann LeCun....”
“The bill changed based on proposals from the AI company Anthropic and other opponents....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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