Today, AI is more advanced than ever. With great power, though, comes great responsibility. Policymakers, alongside those in civil society and industry, are looking to governance that minimizes potential harm and shapes a safe, human-centered AI-empowered society. I applaud some of these efforts yet caution against others; California’s Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, better known as SB-1047, falls into the latter category. This well-meaning piece of legislation will have significant unintended consequences, not just for California, but for the entire country.
AI policy must encourage innovation, set appropriate restrictions, and mitigate the implications of those restrictions. Policy that doesn’t will at best fall short of its goals, and at worst lead to dire, if unintended, consequences.
