California governor vetoes contentious AI safety bill in a win for Big Tech

California Governor. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed the AI Safety Bill 1047 on Sunday that would have instituted the nation’s strictest artificial intelligence regulations, after the tech industry raised objections, saying it could drive AI companies from the state and hinder innovation. This is a major win for tech companies and venture capitalists who had lobbied fiercely against the legislation, and a setback for proponents of tougher AI regulation. .

The legislation, known as S.B. 1047, would have required companies to test the most powerful AI systems before release and held them liable if their technology was used to harm people.

Tech executives and investors had argued the bill would quash innovation by making it legally risky to develop new AI systems, since it could be difficult or impossible to test for all the potential harms of the multipurpose technology.

The bill’s proponents, including pioneering AI researchers Geoffrey Hinton , argued the law would only formalize commitments that tech companies had already made voluntarily.

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