Major AI bill vetoed by California governor, despite increased calls for regulation

California is home to many of the country’s largest AI innovators, including Apple. Today, they’re all breathing a sigh of relief. Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a major AI regulatory bill that came to his desk, while nonetheless highlighting the ‘real threats’ posed by AI.

Governor stresses need for regulation while rejecting bill’s approach

SB 1047 is the AI bill that California’s senate approved and sent to the governor’s desk for a signature. Newsom has decided to exercise his veto right, however, by leaving the bill unsigned.

Here is his reasoning, straight from the veto message itself:

Adaptability is critical as we race to regulate a technology still in its infancy. This will require a delicate balance. While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an Al system is deployed in high-risk environments; involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data. Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions — so long as a large system deploys it. I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology.

The bill sparked a lot of debate over the role of government in the latest tech innovations. AI in particular has been highly controversial at all levels of society, and Newsom has recently signed other AI bills into law. However, he stresses his belief that SB 1047 didn’t take the right approach.

By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology. Smaller, specialized models may emerge as equally or even more dangerous than the models targeted by SB 1047 – at the potential expense of curtailing the very innovation that fuels advancement in favor of the public good.

Many companies have been building and shipping AI tech for years. Apple, meanwhile, is just getting started with its Apple Intelligence features coming in October.

Newsom signing SB 1047 could have brought further delays to Apple’s implementation of AI in its various devices, as well as impacting partners (and competitors) like OpenAI, Google, and more.

9to5Mac’s Take

There will undoubtedly be bills that succeed this one and attempt to accomplish much of the same goal, but in a way Newsom will sign off on. For his part, the governor outlines much of what he’s looking for in his veto statement. Unfortunately, some of what he has to say appears vague and unhelpful. For example, he remarks, “Ultimately, any framework for effectively regulating Al needs to keep pace with the technology itself.”

Have you followed the AI regulation debate? What do you think of SB 1047 getting vetoed? Let us know in the comments.