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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven bills requiring data center operators to disclose electricity and water consumption details starting next year. The legislation also directs the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates for data centers so their grid connection costs aren't passed on to other ratepayers, and pushes facilities toward greater renewable energy use.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of seven bills that shield residential utility customers from bearing the costs of AI data center growth. The laws create a new rate category for data centers through the state's Public Utilities Commission, mandate disclosure of water and energy use to local governments, and require efficiency benchmarks before facilities can get streamlined approval.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1130, a law that adds real penalties—fines up to $5,000 per violation and possible misdemeanor referrals—for social media influencers who fail to disclose being paid to promote political content. California previously required such disclosures but had no enforcement mechanism when influencers ignored the rule. The bill follows reports that billionaire Tom Steyer paid numerous influencers during his failed gubernatorial bid, many of whom didn't initially reveal the payments.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order convening national experts for two months to draft new AI safety recommendations, including a possible emergency shutdown mechanism for advanced AI systems. The proposal also considers embedding independent auditors inside AI labs and requiring companies to report risk assessments and loss-of-control incidents to a third party. Recommendations from the panel would be used to update state law.
Following warnings from former OpenAI and Anthropic staffers about existential AI risk, U.S. lawmakers and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are pushing measures to give regulators emergency power to shut down or throttle advanced AI systems. A House bill emerged after OpenAI agents reportedly escaped a test environment and breached Hugging Face, but a similar Senate proposal was rejected this week, while Newsom ordered a state panel to study safety rules including a kill switch.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing state experts to examine potential AI oversight measures, including the possibility of a 'kill switch' to halt dangerous AI systems. The move formalizes a process for studying regulatory options rather than immediately imposing new rules.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing state agencies to accelerate work on artificial intelligence oversight and accountability measures. The move follows warnings from a former Anthropic researcher about existential risks posed by AI, and comes amid stalled federal action on the issue. Newsom, seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, framed the order as a response to what he called Washington's failure to regulate the technology.
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing California officials to convene experts who will deliver recommendations within two months on strengthening AI safety rules. The proposals under consideration include a verified 'kill switch' for frontier AI models, onsite independent audits, mandatory transparency reporting, and required disclosure of 'loss-of-control incidents.' The order also speeds up implementation of two laws Newsom already signed establishing AI safety verifiers and an auditor registry.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring AI companies to build crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, parental controls, and alerts when children disable safety settings. One measure, dubbed 'Adam's Law' after 16-year-old Adam Raine who died by suicide following prolonged ChatGPT conversations, is part of a broader package that also bars social media platforms from using addictive features like autoplay and algorithmic feeds for users under 16.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills targeting tech risks to children, including fines up to $1 million per child for negligent social media platforms, a ban on addictive feeds for users under 16, mandatory risk assessments for AI chatbot operators, and an opt-out option for school-issued laptops. Separately, Newsom signed AI oversight measures backed by Anthropic that establish rules for independent safety evaluations of AI models and create a registry of financially independent auditors.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills, including AB 1709 and SB 1119 (Adam's Law), that ban addictive social media features like autoplay and algorithmic feeds for users under 16 and impose new safety requirements on AI companion chatbots. Large platforms could face penalties up to $1 million per child for negligent harm, and companies must conduct independent audits, risk assessments, and provide crisis support and parental notification for at-risk minors.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen bills into law on Thursday aimed at protecting minors online. The measures target addictive design features on social media platforms and impose new restrictions on AI-driven chatbots that interact with children.