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OpenAI's opposition to California's AI bill 'makes no sense,' says state senator | TechCrunch
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Relevant to AI governance discussions around SB 1047, a landmark California bill attempting to impose safety obligations on frontier AI developers; illustrates industry-government tensions over AI regulation.
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Importance: 42/100news articlenews
Summary
California State Senator Scott Wiener pushes back against OpenAI's opposition to SB 1047, an AI safety bill requiring safety evaluations and liability for developers of large AI models. Wiener argues that OpenAI's objections are inconsistent with the company's stated mission and public safety commitments. The article highlights the tension between AI industry self-regulation preferences and legislative oversight efforts.
Key Points
- •Senator Wiener criticized OpenAI for opposing SB 1047 despite the company's stated mission to develop AI safely for humanity's benefit.
- •SB 1047 would require AI developers to implement safety protocols and accept liability for harms caused by frontier AI models.
- •OpenAI joined other tech companies in lobbying against the California bill, citing concerns about innovation and regulatory burdens.
- •The senator argued the opposition contradicts OpenAI's own safety rhetoric and alignment with responsible AI development principles.
- •The debate reflects broader tensions between AI industry self-governance preferences and external legislative accountability mechanisms.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act | Policy | 66.0 |
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OpenAI's opposition to California's AI bill 'makes no sense,' says state senator | TechCrunch
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AI
OpenAI’s opposition to California’s AI bill ‘makes no sense,’ says state senator
Maxwell Zeff
1:57 PM PDT · August 21, 2024
OpenAI broke its silence on California’s most controversial AI bill on Tuesday, officially expressing opposition in a letter to California state Senator Scott Wiener and Governor Gavin Newsom. The AI giant argued that SB 1047, introduced by Wiener in February, would stifle innovation and push talent out of California — a position Wiener quickly replied “makes no sense.”
“The AI revolution is only just beginning, and California’s unique status as the global leader in AI is fueling the state’s economic dynamism,” said OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon in the letter obtained by TechCrunch. “SB 1047 would threaten that growth, slow the pace of innovation, and lead California’s world-class engineers and entrepreneurs to leave the state in search of greater opportunity elsewhere. Given those risks, we must protect America’s AI edge with a set of federal policies — rather than state ones — that can provide clarity and certainty for AI labs and developers while also preserving public safety.”
The company joins broad local pushback against SB 1047 on Tuesday, adding its take to those of trade groups representing Google and Meta, investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, prominent AI researchers and California Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Zoe Lofgren.
An OpenAI spokesperson says the company has been in discussions with Senator Wiener’s office about the bill for months. However, Senator Wiener says the AI lab’s argument that SB 1047 would push AI companies out of California is “tired.”
Wiener pointed out in a press release on Wednesday that OpenAI doesn’t actually “criticize a single provision of the bill.” He says the company’s claim that companies will leave California because of SB 1047 “makes no sense given that SB 1047 is not limited to companies headquartered in California.” As we’ve previously reported, SB 1047 affects all AI model developers that do business
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