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Gavin Newsom is pushing for an AI kill switch

TL;DR

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is positioning the state to take the lead on AI oversight, including the potential to mandate a "kill switch" for frontier models, with a new executive order issued Friday. Newsom's order directs the state to convene a group of experts that will deliver recommendations within two months on how to strengthen AI safety measures in state law.

Nauti's Take

Onsite audit teams and independently checked risk reports would be progress compared with self-reporting by the labs. The technical question is what a kill switch even means for models whose weights are already distributed or open source.

Since many frontier labs are based in California, teams elsewhere should watch the recommendations, because they are likely to shape products and terms of use worldwide.

Summary

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is positioning the state to take the lead on AI oversight, including the potential to mandate a "kill switch" for frontier models, with a new executive order issued Friday.

Newsom's order directs the state to convene a group of experts that will deliver recommendations within two months on how to strengthen AI safety measures in state law.

Sources