The author of SB 1047 introduces a new AI bill in California

SB 53 offers whistleblower protections, proposes CalCompute, evolving from the rejected SB 1047.

: Senator Scott Wiener introduces SB 53 in California, offering protections for AI lab employees and proposing a public cloud, CalCompute. The bill follows Wiener's SB 1047, which was vetoed but sparked significant debate. SB 53 focuses on allowing employees to report AI systems posing a 'critical risk' and avoids the earlier controversies. The legislative future of SB 53 remains uncertain amid changing attitudes toward AI safety.

California state Senator Scott Wiener presents SB 53 to protect employees of AI labs, permitting them to disclose potential threats from AI systems. This bill also includes the development of CalCompute, a public cloud computing cluster to aid researchers and startups.

Senator Wiener previously introduced SB 1047, aimed at preventing catastrophic results from large AI models, which was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. SB 1047 sparked controversy, criticized by Silicon Valley for potentially dampening AI competitiveness, yet Wiener emphasized misleading opposition claims.

SB 53 extracts manageable components from SB 1047, emphasizing whistleblower safeguards and public cloud establishment. Although 2024 saw 18 AI-related bills, the AI safety movement struggles for traction, and the future of such legislation amidst shifting priorities remains uncertain.

AI safetyWhistleblower Protectionslegislation