It is thought that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering a run for president. In many ways, the size and technological muscle of his state allow him to act like one already. California is home to 32 of the world’s top 50 AI companies, and AI startups investing in California broke records last year. When Newsom signs or vetoes legislation to regulate technologies like artificial intelligence, he affects everyone, and he knows it. That’s a lot of faith to put in a man whom the other 49 states never elected.
Imagine a world in which Newsom never decided to veto California’s infamous Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, which would have required all AI developers, large and small, to certify — risking millions of dollars in penalties — that their models could not be used to “cause harm.” That near-miss reality asks developers to accept the risk of bankruptcy for actions outside of their control.
For many developers unwilling to take that risk, the law would have required them to keep tabs on their model’s uses, constantly reporting so-called “risky behavior” to the attorney general. Meanwhile, a new Board of Frontier Models would lead in rulemaking and enforcement, nested under the Government Operations Agency, a cabinet-level agency answering directly to the governor.
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Nate Karren is a policy analyst with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, follow us on X @ConsumerPal.