A first-of-its-kind AI bill is passing in California, sparking infighting among a group of AI pioneers.
The AI safety bill, SB 1047, would impose additional responsibilities on developers who spend more than $100 million building AI models. Requirements include safety testing, implementing safeguards, and requiring state attorneys general to take action against developers of AI models that cause “significant harm,” including incidents that cause mass casualties and damages of more than $500 million. This includes allowing.
Companies must agree to third-party audits and implement kill switches that allow them to turn off the technology at any time. The bill also proposes protections for whistleblowers.
California Sen. Scott Wiener, a co-author of the bill, accused some opponents of “fear-mongering” in an attempt to block passage of the state bill.
“There were a lot of dramatic statements and false statements made by some in the opposition,” Wiener said. “Large laboratories have repeatedly and vocally committed to conducting safety assessments of their large models, and that is what this bill requires. We will make it mandatory.”
The bill passed the state Senate and is expected to be voted on in the state House by the end of this week. The bill has been amended numerous times, so it will be subject to another final vote in the Senate. If passed, it would be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom has not said which side he is leaning on.
Wiener, who represents San Francisco, held a virtual press conference Wednesday with supporters of the bill, including Yoshua Bengio, known as one of the “godfathers of AI.” Center for AI Safety Director Dan Hendrycks, Economic Security California Director Teri Olle, Encode Justice Political Vice President Sunny Gandhi, and Thibault Duchemin, CEO of AI startup Ava.
Citing META’s AI model Llama, Wiener called SB 1047 “rational” and “light-feeling,” adding that “Meta has already committed to doing this testing.” He insisted that the bill would not cause the company to stop open sourcing. model.
“We are working hard to make the case to our colleagues in Congress that this bill is worthy of support, and we certainly have a path to passing it in Congress,” Wiener told Yahoo Finance. . “The governor has made statements that are very consistent with my own thoughts. Regulation may be appropriate here, and we certainly want to encourage innovation as well.”
On Monday night, Elon Musk, owner of leading AI modeling company xAI, announced his support for the bill, posting on In order to pass SB 1047, the AI Safety Act, I think the state should probably do that.”In order to pass SB 1047, the AI Safety Act, I would like to introduce a new approach to AI regulation, just as it has been for more than 20 years to regulate products and technologies that pose a potential risk to the public. has supported. ”
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California Artificial Intelligence Bill – SB1047.
Mr. Anthropic wrote an open letter to Governor Newsom last week expressing cautious support for the amended bill. The company acknowledged the changes in a letter, saying the bill has been “significantly improved to the extent that we believe the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs.” Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark shared a letter about X, noting that it was “not an endorsement.”
In the revised bill, the creation of a “Frontier Model Division” to crack down on the Frontier Model was deleted. It would also drop perjury charges for lying about the model, relying instead on existing law.
Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, wrote in a letter to Weiner that the company supports some of the bill’s provisions, but that AI regulation should be left to the federal government. .
“A federally-led set of AI policies, rather than a patchwork of state laws, would foster innovation and position the United States to lead the development of global standards,” Kwon wrote.
But two former OpenAI researchers, Daniel Cocotajiro and William Saunders, said they were disappointed by OpenAI’s decision to oppose it. “Our former boss, Sam Altman, has repeatedly called for AI regulation,” they wrote in a letter to Governor Newsom last week. “Now that actual regulation is being considered, he is opposed to it.”
Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta, and Andreessen Horowitz are among the large companies that call the bill a threat to innovation and research. Some fear this puts California at a disadvantage, putting it at risk of losing Silicon Valley-based AI companies.
SB 1047 has also faced criticism from some of the biggest names in the industry. Dr. Feifei Li, known as the “godfather of AI” and co-director of Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, told Fortune magazine earlier this month that the bill’s penalties and restrictions would have “unintended consequences.” I wrote that it would bring. innovation.
Lee said SB 1047 would have a “negative impact on our budding AI ecosystem, especially those segments that are already disadvantaged by today’s tech giants: the public sector, academia, and ‘small tech.’ Deaf, he said.
Wiener also faces opposition from some of his Democratic colleagues. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the bill, calling it “well-intentioned but ill-informed.” Eight California Representatives: Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, Anna G. Eshoo, Scott Peters, Tony Cárdenas, Ami Vera, Nanette Díaz Barragan, and Lou Correa also urged Newsom to support the bill. He urges them to exercise their veto power.
Wiener said he would welcome the federal government to pre-empt SB 1047 with strong AI safety regulations. “Congress is completely paralyzed when it comes to technology policy,” Wiener said. “There are talented people in Congress who are trying to do that, but Congress as a whole is not taking the necessary action.”
California lawmakers have introduced 50 AI-related measures aimed at regulating emerging technologies. Currently, there are no federal laws that place guardrails for AI developers. If passed and signed into law, SB 1047 could become the nation’s first full-fledged AI regulation.
Yasmin Khorram is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow Yasmin on Twitter/X @YasminKhorram And also on LinkedIn. Send newsworthy tips to Yasmin: yasmin.khorram@yahooinc.com
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