AI employees voice support for California regulation bill

More than 100 employees of artificial intelligence (AI) companies called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to sign the state’s new AI regulation bill in a letter Monday.

The letter, sent by about 120 current and former employees from leading AI companies — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google’s DeepMind and Meta — expresses concern that “the most powerful AI models may soon pose severe risks.”

The employees pointed to the possibility of expanded access to biological weapons and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in defense of their support for California Senate Bill 1047, known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act.

“It is feasible and appropriate for frontier AI companies to test whether the most powerful AI models can cause severe harms, and for these companies to implement reasonable safeguards against such risks,” the letter stated.

The employees recommended Newsom sign S.B. 1047, calling it “a meaningful step forward.”

The legislation would require powerful AI models to undergo safety testing before they can be released to the public and would hold developers liable for severe harms caused by their models. 

California lawmakers passed the bill late last month, sending it to Newsom’s desk, where the governor must sign or veto it by Sept. 30.

AI startups, major technology firms, researchers and even some lawmakers are divided over whether the legislation would throttle the development of the quickly advancing technology or establish much-needed guardrails.

Newsom is facing pressure from both sides of the argument, especially from those in Silicon Valley.

The governor has indicated skepticism about reigning in AI technology, which could bring large amounts of money to the Golden State, but has remained tight-lipped about the bill. When reached for comment on Monday, the governor’s office told The Hill the measure “will be evaluated on its merits.” 

Billionaire tech leader Elon Musk, who owns the AI company xAI and the social platform X, voiced his support for the bill last month. In doing so, he noted it was a “tough call” and acknowledged his decision could “make some people upset.”

“All things considered, I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wrote on X. “For over 20 years, I have been an advocate for AI regulation, just as we regulate any product/technology that is a potential risk to the public.”

Meanwhile, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and some other California lawmakers have come out against the legislation. Pelosi said “many” in Congress view the legislation as “well-intentioned but ill informed.” 

“AI springs from California,” the former Speaker said. “We must have legislation that is a model for the nation and the world. We have the opportunity and responsibility to enable small entrepreneurs and academia — not big tech — to dominate.” 

A group of eight other California Democrats also sent Newsom a letter urging him to veto the bill. The lawmakers argued the methods for understanding and mitigating AI risks are “still in their infancy,” and criticized the legislation for its focus on “extreme misuse scenarios and hypothetical existential risks.”

While some former OpenAI employees are expressing support for the bill, the company’s current chief strategy officer, Jason Kwon, argued regulation of frontier AI models should come from the federal government and warned the bill could “stifle innovation and harm the U.S. AI ecosystem.” The ChatGPT maker joined tech giants Google and Meta in opposing the bill.

Axios was the first to report on the letter from AI company employees.

The Hill’s Julia Shapero contributed.

Updated at 10:08 a.m. EDT