California, Sep 30
A contentious bill on artificial intelligence (AI) safety was vetoed in the US state of California, drawing both praise and criticism from various stakeholders in the tech industry and advocacy groups.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed Senate Bill 1047 (SB1047), also known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, just one day before the deadline, as reported by news agency.
The bill, introduced by California State Senator Scott Wiener, would require large AI models to undergo safety tests to reduce the risks of "catastrophic harm" before their public release. The bill would also hold developers liable for severe harm caused by their models.
Governor Newsom, in a letter to state Senate members, explained his decision to veto the bill, emphasising the importance of regulating the AI industry responsibly.
Newsom criticised the bill on several grounds, saying that it "magnified the conversation about threats that could emerge from the deployment of AI" and risked "curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favour of the public good."
The vetoed bill, which the state legislature overwhelmingly passed in August, had garnered support from AI safety advocacy groups, labour unions, some enterprisers and Hollywood stars who called for safe and responsible AI development.
However, it faced strong opposition from numerous members of Congress and major AI companies, including Google, Meta, and OpenAI, who warned that the bill could stifle innovation and potentially undermine California's and US competitiveness in the AI field.
Senator Wiener, the bill's author, expressed disappointment at the veto, calling it "a setback in oversight of massive corporations."