California AI bill veto could allow smaller devs, models to ‘flourish’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047, the bill that many believed would change the landscape of AI development in the state and the country. The veto published on Sunday could give AI companies the ability to show they can proactively protect users from AI risks.

SB 1047 would have required AI companies to include a “kill switch” to models, implement a written safety protocol and get a third-party safety auditor before starting to train models. It would have also given California’s attorney general access to an auditor’s report and the right to sue AI developers.

Some AI industry veterans believed the bill could have a chilling effect on AI development. Many in the industry thanked Newsom for vetoing the bill, noting the veto could protect open-source development in the future. Yann Le Cun, chief AI scientist at Meta and a vocal opponent of ...