Exclusive: Renowned Experts Pen Support for California’s Landmark AI Safety Bill
TimeJul 24
Amended California AI Regulation Bill Passes Committee
Above: A view of the California state capitol building on National Urban League California Legislative Advocacy Day on March 13, 2024 in Sacramento, California. Image copyright: Arturo Holmes/Staff/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
The Facts
SB 1047, a piece of California legislation seeking to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) models, passed the state's Appropriations Committee on Thursday following amendments proposed by AI start-up Anthropic and several others who have opposed the bill.
The legislation would require AI systems to be tested for safety before their release and come with built-in safety guardrails. It would also allow the state attorney general to sue AI makers if their products cause serious harm — a scale back from the original proposal that would have permitted legal action before such harm occurred.
The Spin
Narrative A
AI developers tout the need for safety regulations for good publicity before turning around and stifling any attempt to have it come to fruition. A well-funded group of developers and investors have spread misinformation and fear about the bill in order to shield themselves from the harms of their products and rake in cash without any oversight. This bill is full of common-sense provisions that are popular amongst researchers and the public and are necessary to mitigate the long-term harms of AI.
Narrative B
If SB 1047 passes, regulations will snuff out the AI industry in the US and allow countries like China to dominate the AI sphere. This bill is based almost entirely on hypothetical, worst-case scenario harms that will never materialize and rely more on fear than sound reasoning. The bill's liability clauses could penalize everyone who does any work with AI and end development entirely. We need rational regulation made on a national level in consultation with business leaders.