California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed SB 1047, a legislative initiative that sought to regulate the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This bill, pushed by state Senator Scott Wiener, aimed to require companies developing AI models to implement safety protocols to prevent "critical harm." However the law would have only applied to models whose development cost exceeded $100 million and that used at least 102610^{26}1026 floating-point operations (FLOPS) during its training phase. The SB 1047 proposal generated strong opposition in Silicon Valley,including from companies such as OpenAI and influential technologists such as Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist. It also met resistance among some Democratic politicians, such as U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna. Although the project was modified following suggestions from companies such as Anthropic, detractors continued to voice their concerns.
Arguments behind the veto
Governor Newsom had previously shown reservations about the bill, so the possibility of a veto was always considered by opponents. Finally, in his official statement, Newsom justified his decision by noting that while the bill had good intentions, it "does not take into account whether an AI system is implemented in high-risk environments, involves critical decisions or the use of sensitive data. Instead, it applies strict standards to even the most basic functions of a large system." Newsom concluded that this approach was not the best way to protect the public against the real dangers posed by the technology.
The veto also received the backing of high-profile political figures such as Nancy Pelosi, who described the bill as "well-intentioned, but ill-informed." Pelosi praised Newsom for his ability to recognize the importance of allowing small entrepreneurs and academia, rather than big tech, to lead in this field. Despite the veto, Newsom reiterated his commitment to AI regulation, noting that in the last 30 days he has signed 18 laws related to the regulation and deployment of this technology. In addition, he has sought the advice of subject matter experts such as Fei-Fei Li, Tino Cuellar and Jennifer Tour Chayes to help California develop effective regulations for the implementation of generative AI. For his part, Senator Wiener lamented the veto, calling it "a setback for those who support oversight of large corporations that make crucial decisions affecting the safety and welfare of the public." However, he asserted that the debate over SB 1047has significantly advanced the issue of AI safety internationally.