California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, a critical bill that would regulate AI development.
The bill, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, would make companies developing the largest AI models responsible for implementing safety protocols to prevent “significant harm.” Many in Silicon Valley opposed it, including companies like OpenAI, high-profile tech experts like Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, and even Democratic politicians like U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna.
While California lawmakers passed SB 1047, opponents held out hope that Newsom might veto it. In fact, Newsom has already expressed doubts about the bill.
In a statement about today’s veto, Newsom said, “SB 1047, while well-intentioned, does not take into account whether AI systems are deployed in high-risk environments, make critical decisions, or involve the use of sensitive data. Instead, the bill imposes strict standards for even the most basic functions as long as large systems deploy them. “I don’t think this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by technology.”
In the same announcement, Newsom’s office said he had signed 17 bills related to the regulation and deployment of AI technology in the past 30 days and had “asked for help” from experts such as Fei-Fei Li, Tino Cuéllar, and Jennifer Tour Chayes. Yes. California develops actionable guardrails for GenAI deployment.” (Li, known as the “Godmother of AI,” previously said SB 1047 would “harm our new AI ecosystem.”)
Meanwhile, Wiener issued a statement describing the veto as “a setback for everyone who believes in oversight of large corporations that make critical decisions that affect the safety and well-being of the public and the future of our planet.” He also argued that the debate surrounding the bill has “dramatically advanced the issue of AI safety on the international stage.”
