In the Media

ABC NEWS: What to know about landmark AI regulations proposed in California

02. 10. 2024

"By expanding that access, it will allow for there to be research and innovation and AI development that is aligned with the public interest."

This story was originally published by ABC News.

What would the bill do to police the risks of AI?

The bill would heighten the scrutiny faced by large AI models before they gain wide option, ensuring that state officials test the products prior to their release.

In addition to mandating an emergency off-switch, the bill would implement hacking protections to make AI less vulnerable to bad actors.

To bolster enforcement, the measure would establish the Frontier Model Division within the California Department of Technology as a means of carrying out the regulations.

Since the legislation focuses on extreme risks, it will not apply to small-scale AI products, Wiener said.

“Our goal is to foster innovation with safety in mind,” Wiener added.

Even more, the bill would promote AI development by creating CalCompute, a publicly owned initiative that would facilitate shared computing power among businesses, researchers and community groups.

The effort would help lower the technical threshold for small firms or organizations that may lack the immense computing capacity enjoyed by large companies, Teri Olle, the director of nonprofit Economic Security California, told ABC News.

“By expanding that access, it will allow for there to be research and innovation and AI development that is aligned with the public interest,” said Olle, whose organization helped develop this feature of the bill.