The "Kill Innovation" Worrisome AI Bill

Suspense day in Sacramento.

And negotiations!

Hundreds of bills will either be on the floor or on the chopping block. Assemblymembr Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s bill on preventing bias in algorithms may not make it past appropriations; it could cost billions of dollars to implement. My summary of State Sen. Scott Wiener’s AI bill that was also discussed is below. My prior coverage of this bill is here

California's AI bill, S.B. 1047, has been amended as it moves closer to becoming law, with a vote expected by the end of August. This bill, when passed, will lead to AI companies exiting our state.

Eight members of Congress oppose it!

The bill introduces new safety regulations for artificial intelligence technologies, requiring companies to test these technologies before public release. The bill also empowers California’s attorney general to take legal action if AI systems cause significant harm, such as property damage or human casualties.

Initially, the bill faced significant pushback from Silicon Valley tech companies, concerned about overregulation of a still-developing technology. In response, lawmakers made concessions, including shifting regulatory responsibilities to an existing state agency rather than creating a new one and limiting liability to instances where actual harm occurs.

Before the bill passed out of the Senate’s appropriations committee, significant concessions were made to address industry concerns. The revised bill no longer allows the Attorney General to sue companies for negligent safety practices before a catastrophic event, does not create a new state agency for compliance monitoring, and removes the requirement for AI labs to certify safety testing under penalty of perjury. Additionally, the bill now exempts developers who spend less than $10 million fine-tuning an open-source AI model from its other requirements, alleviating fears that the bill would stifle open-source development.

Despite these changes, concerns remain, particularly among those in the open-source software community, who fear that the bill could stifle AI innovation.

This bill could set a precedent that could influence national policies. The bill now awaits a final vote and, if passed, will be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for approval.

As goes California, so goes the rest of the United States. Watch out!

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