OpenAI and tech giants oppose new AI bill requiring ‘Kill Switch’

The bill requires companies to implement protocols to prevent their AI models from causing “critical harm,” such as being used in cyber attacks or leading to the development of weapons of mass destruction.

The bill also specified the provision for a “full shutdown,” which acts as an off switch for AI systems.

Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, warned that the bill could stifle progress and drive companies out of California in a letter to Wiener on Wednesday.

Kwon also wrote that the regulation of AI as it relates to national security is “best handled at the federal level” rather than through “a patchwork of state laws.”

Silicon Valley tech heavyweights like Meta and anthropogenic they also lobbied against the bill.

Meta warned that the bill could discourage the open-source movement by exposing developers to significant legal liability, Rob Sherman, vice president of policy and deputy director of privacy at Meta, wrote in a June letter. Sherman wrote that the regulations could hinder the broader tech ecosystem as smaller businesses rely on these freely available models to innovate.

Anthropic also resisted the bill’s strict preemptive regulations, arguing instead for a more balanced approach that doesn’t impede progress, BI reported Monday.

OpenAI has previously lobbied against similar legislation from the European Union. The company has sought to ease regulatory requirements on general-purpose AI systems like GPT-3, Time reported last year.

The EU has since amended its final draft of the AI ​​Act to exclude language that would classify general-purpose AI as high risk, focusing instead on “core models” with more limited requirements, according to Time.

Despite industry opposition, Sen. Wiener said it’s a “very reasonable bill that requires the big AI labs to do what they’ve already committed to doing,” the senator wrote in response to OpenAI’s letter on Wednesday.

The bill passed the state Senate and is scheduled for a final vote in the California Assembly at the end of the month.

OpenAI and Senator Weiner did not respond to a request for comment outside of standard business hours.