Legislation

Employees at Meta, OpenAI, Google Sign Letter in Support of California AI Bill

SEP 10 2024·Updated SEP 11 2024

Story

Above: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) reacts as he and a group of fellow democrats speak to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump. Image credit: Andrew Harnik/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Approximately 120 current or former employees from artificial intelligence and tech companies such as Anthrophic, Google's DeepMind, Meta, and OpenAI have signed a letter in support of California's AI regulation bill SB-1047.
Axios
The Hill
SB-1047, authored by Democratic California State Sen. Scott Wiener, requires companies to test their AI models and publicly disclose their safety protocols to stop model manipulation, with oversight from third-party auditors. It also grants the state attorney general the power to sue developers who do not comply.
Verity
The letter provides support for the bill within the signatories' personal capacities, stating that AI models "may soon pose severe risks," including access to biological weapons and critical infrastructure attacks.
Call to Lead
The letter continues by claiming it to be "feasible and appropriate" for companies to test if AI models "can cause severe harms" and to create "reasonable safeguards" against potential threats.
Call to Lead
The bill sees personal support within the letter from several employees whose companies officially oppose its measures (Google, Meta, OpenAI). Having passed California's legislature, Gov. Gavin Newsom must either sign or veto the bill by the end of the month.
The San Francisco Standard
Tech.co

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

California's AI bill seeks to castrate innovation within the tech industry. The text's naïve attempt to mitigate potential harm exposes a complete lack of understanding of the very sector politicians are attempting to restrict. While well-intended, SB-1047 is not the right solution to credible AI concerns.

www.ft.com

Establishment-critical narrative

Having passed all stages of California's legislative process, all eyes are now on Gavin Newsom. While only time will tell if the governor will finally address the growing public concerns over increasingly sophisticated and dangerous AI models, recent history, unfortunately, shows the puppet politician will likely continue to bend the knee to Big Tech's demands.

Sacbee