California AI bills would protect whistleblowers, prohibit blaming the tech in civil suits

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A sprawling bill targeting the regulation of large artificial intelligence models that failed last year returned Tuesday to the California Capitol in a new form.

Last year’s Senate Bill 1047, written by state Senator Scott Wiener, would have imposed safeguards and policies for the development of large AI models. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it in September, saying it fell short of a flexible solution that would avoid catastrophic risk.

That led the San Francisco Democrat on Tuesday to present a new version of the bill to his chamber’s Governmental Organizational Committee.

The new Senate Bill 53 focuses on two aspects of the prior bill that Newsom didn’t criticize, Wiener said. It would create a consortium to build a framework for a public cloud computing cluster, called “CalCompute.” It also would strengthen whistleblower protections for people involved with certain AI models.

“We know that AI has strong potential to make the world a better place, to improve people’s health,” Wiener said.

However, the senator added that the powerful technology is moving at breakneck pace and government must keep up through regulations. Wiener also said a lack of federal action has necessitated California to enact legislation.

“And now this new administration is openly hostile to any regulation,” he said of Donald Trump’s presidency.

If the bill is enacted, CalCompute would encourage the development of safe and ethical AI by offering a space for research and innovation that helps the public. It also would foster equitable innovation by growing access to computational resources.

Cluster computing involves several computers linked together and working as one system. It enables users to access powerful computers through the internet, providing greater flexibility and scalability in comparison to in-person machines.

Ryan Greenblatt, chief scientist at Redwood Research, said he fears AI could advance this year to the point of helping a novice create biological weapons. That’s why Wiener’s bill is needed, as it would provide protections for employees of AI developers if they alert authorities to such danger.

Senate Bill 53 passed the committee in a unanimous vote. It now proceeds to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Also an AI-related bill, Assembly Bill 316 appeared Tuesday before the Assembly Judiciary Committee. It passed unanimously and now advances to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

Written by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat, the bill wouldn’t change existing AI law, she said. Instead, it would prohibit an AI developer and user from claiming that an AI acted on its own as a defense in a civil action.

“It’s simply a rail guard to prevent a user or company that creates AI from blaming the AI from autonomously causing harm,” Krell said.

Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, is a co-sponsor of the bill. He claimed that last year a 14-year-old boy killed himself after a chatbot encouraged him to take his own life. In another example, an AI gave a minor advice on how to mask the smell of cannabis.

“I think we can all agree that this is dangerous,” Berkman said, adding later: “Moving fast and breaking things with AI should no longer include our children.”

In unrelated legislation, the Assembly Public Safety Committee heard Assembly Bill 475.

The bill — written by Assemblymember Lori Wilson, a Suisun City Democrat — would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to create a voluntary work program for all inmates not on death row and eliminate mandatory work.

California voters in November voted down the removal of mandatory work for inmates by 53%. Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Palmdale Republican, said he wouldn’t support the bill because of that vote.

Wilson said that some people found the ballot language confusing, adding that it’s important to educate voters about discipline and voluntary work in prisons.

“I’m just encouraging my colleagues to ensure they stand on the right side of history today,” Wilson said.

Wilson also is the author of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6, which would prohibit all forms of slavery.

Authors of a bill analysis wrote that, because federal and state courts have found involuntary servitude for inmates is allowed, a constitutional amendment might be required to enforce a law like Wilson’s.