A bill aimed at regulating powerful artificial intelligence models is under consideration in California’s legislature, despite outcry that it could kill the technology it seeks to control.
“With Congress gridlocked over AI regulation… California must act to get ahead of the foreseeable risks presented by rapidly advancing AI while also fostering innovation,” said Democratic state senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, the bill’s sponsor.
But critics, including Democratic members of US Congress, argue that threats of punitive measures against developers in a nascent field can throttle innovation.
“The view of many of us in Congress is that SB 1047 is well-intentioned but ill-informed,” influential Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California said in a release, noting that top party members have shared their concerns with Wiener.
“While …