California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order Friday that he said would “dramatically accelerate” artificial intelligence safety measures, including potentially requiring companies to develop a “kill switch,” or emergency shutoff, for advanced AI models.
Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential contender, said the order was necessary because the federal government hasn’t done enough to regulate AI.
“California will do what it can, but this nation needs to get in the game. Washington, D.C. needs to do its job,” Newsom said in a video Friday.
The governor’s executive order would convene a group of experts to provide, within two months, a guide for how California should strengthen its AI security laws. The proposals include requiring regular audits of AI labs, mandating the reporting of “loss-of-control” incidents in which AI agents behave unexpectedly, and advancing the creation of a kill switch for the most advanced AI models.
The order follows warnings from leading tech executives that AI is advancing too rapidly and that the industry should coordinate a slowdown to ensure the technology can be kept under control.
President Donald Trump has pushed back on those concerns and appeared to dismiss calls for U.S. companies to slow down their development of AI capabilities.
“We’re leading China in AI, we’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way,” Trump said Sunday. “Whoever wins AI, wins.”
Despite Trump’s stance, concerns about AI have triggered a new urgency in Congress from lawmakers in both major parties.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) tried Wednesday to pass legislation by unanimous consent that would mandate companies include a kill switch in AI models, but it was derailed by an objection from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). A similar bill was introduced by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-California) and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas).
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said Monday that he hoped the AI regulation bill that he has been working on with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would be introduced soon. He said he would like any legislation to take a “light touch.”
More than 100 House Democrats signed a letter earlier this week urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to cancel the upcoming recess so they could vote on legislation on AI safeguards.
Johnson, who like Trump has called for a hands-off approach to regulating AI, instead canceled votes Thursday and sent House members home one day early for its seven-week recess. They are not expected to reconvene until after the November midterm elections.
“Mike Johnson should return from vacation and follow California’s lead by passing national legislation. Get it done,” Newsom said Friday. “That’s what leadership requires: setting a comprehensive safety framework as a floor. It’s the minimum thing you should expect that he and his colleagues do.”
The American public has also become more concerned about AI: The overwhelming majority of U.S. adults — about 71 percent — believe that the technology will lead to fewer jobs in the next 20 years, according to a poll released Thursday by Pew Research Center.
More than half of those surveyed said they were more concerned than excited about the rise of AI in daily life, while 9 percent said they felt the opposite, according to the poll. In particular, concerns about AI have risen sharply among young adults in the U.S. since 2024.
In 2024, Newsom vetoed an AI regulation bill that would have required AI companies to develop kill switches, among other measures.
His decision followed broad pushback on the proposal from tech leaders and investors, who claimed it would have stifled innovation and made it risky to develop powerful new models. The governor said at the time that the bill, which also would have required companies to test powerful AI systems before release, focused too narrowly on expensive and large-scale models. On Friday, his office said the 2024 bill was “unworkable” when it reached his desk.
Anna Liss-Roy contributed to this report.
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