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The generator of California ’s SB 1047 , the nation ’s most controversial AI guard bill of 2024 , is back with a new AI bill that could shake up Silicon Valley .
California state Senator Scott Wiener introduced anew billon Friday that would protect employees at leading AI labs , allowing them to speak out if they intend their company ’s AI systems could be a “ critical risk ” to society . The new broadside , SB 53 , would also create a public cloud computing cluster , called CalCompute , to give researchers and inauguration the necessary computing resource to rise AI that benefits the public .
Wiener ’s last AI posting , California ’s SB 1047 , spark a lively disputation across the country around how to handle massive AI systems that could cause tragedy . SB 1047 draw a bead on toprevent the possibility of very declamatory AI model produce catastrophic events , such as causing loss of life or cyberattacks costing more than $ 500 million in damages . However , Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately vetoed the account in September , sayingSB 1047 was not the best approach .
But the debate over SB 1047 quickly work ugly . Some Silicon Valley loss leader saidSB 1047 would hurt America ’s competitive edgein the spherical AI race , and claimed the bill was urge on by unrealistic fearfulness that AI systems could bring about science fiction - like doomsday scenario . Meanwhile , Senator Wiener alleged that some venture capitalists operate in a“propaganda campaign ” against his bill , pointing in part to Y Combinator ’s call that SB 1047 would send startup founder to jail , a title expert argued was misleading .
SB 53 essentially rent the least controversial parts of SB 1047 – such as whistle-blower security and the establishment of a CalCompute cluster – and repackages them into a novel AI bill .
Notably , Wiener is not shying away from experiential AI risk in SB 53 . The raw bill specifically protect whistleblowers who believe their employer are creating AI systems that pose a “ vital endangerment . ” The bill define critical endangerment as a“foreseeable or corporeal hazard that a developer ’s development , storage , or deployment of a fundament modelling , as defined , will lead in the expiry of , or serious injury to , more than 100 multitude , or more than $ 1 billion in damage to right in money or belongings . ”
SB 53 limits frontier AI model developer – likely include OpenAI , Anthropic , and xAI , among others – from retaliating against employees who disclose concerning information to California ’s Attorney General , federal authority , or other employees . Under the bill , these developers would be need to report back to whistleblower on sure internal processes the whistle-blower find concerning .
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As for CalCompute , SB 53 would institute a group to build out a public cloud computer science clump . The chemical group would consist of University of California instance , as well as other public and private researchers . It would make recommendations for how to build CalCompute , how magnanimous the cluster should be , and which users and organisation should have approach to it .
Of course , it ’s very early in the legislative process for SB 53 . The bill require to be reviewed and excrete by California ’s legislative body before it reaches Governor Newsom ’s desk . United States Department of State lawmakers will sure as shooting be expect for Silicon Valley ’s reaction to SB 53 .
However , 2025 may be a tough year to pass AI guard flyer equate to 2024 . California passed 18 AI - related bills in 2024 , but nowit seems as if the AI doom movement has lose terra firma .
Vice President J.D. Vance signaled at the Paris AI Action Summit that America is not concerned in AI safety , but rather prioritise AI innovation . While the CalCompute cluster established by SB 53 could surely be seen as advancing AI progress , it ’s ill-defined how legislative effort around existential AI hazard will fare in 2025 .
