The Future of AI Regulation: A California Bill Shaping the Debate
Carnegie Endowment
12 SEPT 2024
California is poised to potentially enact the most impactful artificial intelligence (AI) regulation seen thus far in the United States. The Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, or SB-1047, is the first of its kind legislation that could help determine technology policy not just in California, but nationwide and internationally. If signed into law, SB-1047 would require those developing the most advanced AI models to adopt and follow safety protocols and take “reasonable care” to avoid critical harms that could result in mass casualties or in cyberattacks causing catastrophic damage to our critical infrastructure. Proponents say these are commonsense, prudent steps to mitigate risks from increasingly powerful AI systems while ensuring AI developers innovate responsibly. On the other hand, opponents say the bill would hinder innovation and increase bureaucracy in AI technology development. The bill has divided tech enthusiasts, policymakers, and industry. While Californians support active policymaking at the state level around AI, they are uncertain about the impacts of AI and the policies that help shape it. To help break it down, Carnegie California, the West Coast office and program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will host a virtual debate on SB-1047. This sixty-minute debate will feature four leading voices—two pro, two con—addressing this proposition before our local and global audience: “If SB-1047 in its current form becomes law, it will do more good than harm.”