California State Senator Scott Wiener, while supporting an artificial intelligence bill against Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s criticism, said that safety cannot be left solely in the hands of technology companies and venture capitalists. 

California’s “Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act,” also known as Senate Bill 1047, requires AI developers to put together security protocols to curb incidents such as major cyberattacks.

Despite criticisms, the Assembly Appropriations Committee passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) SB 1047 with significant amendments introduced by the author. Senator Wiener has defended the bill and said that while technology companies commit to safety testing, but “balk at oversight” and regulation.

“Innovation and safety are not mutually exclusive, and I reject the false claim that in order to innovate, we must leave safety solely in the hands of technology companies and venture capitalists,” Senator Wiener said in a statement.

“While a large majority of people innovating in the AI space are highly ethical people who want to do right by society, we’ve also learned the hard way over the years that pure industry self-regulation doesn’t work out well for society,” he added.

Opposition from US policymakers

The AI bill has faced many oppositions, including from Congresswoman Emerita Nancy Pelosi. She said that while SB 1047 is well-intentioned, it is ill-informed.

“While we want California to lead in AI in a way that protects consumers, data, intellectual property and more, SB 1047 is more harmful than helpful in that pursuit.”

Others, like Zoe Lofgren, Democrat on the Committee of jurisdiction, Science, Space and Technology, said this bill would create “unnecessary risks for both the public and California’s economy.”

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US Congressperson Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, opposed SB 1047 and said “the bill as currently written would be ineffective, punishing of individual entrepreneurs and small businesses, and hurt California’s spirit of innovation.”

Startups not covered in the AI bill

In his own statement, Senator Weiner pointed out that startups are not covered by the bill and Google and Meta oppose the bill.

“While we have engaged with the largest tech companies in addition to startups and academics, none of the largest developers support SB 1047, and most currently oppose it.”

The AI bill has passed the Senate with bipartisan support and must pass the Assembly by Aug. 31.

“I would welcome a strong federal AI safety law that preempts SB 1047. Unless and until Congress is able to pass such a law, California should continue to lead on policies like SB 1047 that foster innovation while also protecting the public,” Weiner said.

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