In what is being called groundbreaking legislation, the California Assembly passed a law that will advance the safety of artificial intelligence and public computing power. SB 53 was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) “to promote the responsible development of large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) systems,” according to a press release.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents “substantial risks” and experts said California is setting the path to manage those risks.

“The greatest innovations happen when our brightest minds have the resources they need and the freedom to speak their minds,” Senator Wiener said. “SB 53 supports the development of large-scale AI systems by providing low-cost compute to researchers and start-ups through CalCompute. At the same time, the bill also provides critical protections to workers who need to sound the alarm if something goes wrong in developing these highly advanced systems. We are still early in the legislative process, and this bill may evolve as the process continues. I’m closely monitoring the work of the Governor’s AI Working Group, as well as developments in the AI field for changes that warrant a legislative response. California’s leadership on AI is more critical than ever as the new federal Administration proceeds with shredding the guardrails meant to keep Americans safe from the known and foreseeable risks that advanced AI systems present.”

While California is home to many AI companies and researchers, SB 53 will secure leadership in an emerging space to startups “by providing low-cost compute and other resources to aid responsible AI development,” according to a press rellease.

“California has a history of making important public investments where it counts: from stem cell research to our stellar higher education system, we have led the way in using public dollars to foster the American entrepreneurial spirit,” Teri Olle, director of economic security for California Action, said. “We are proud to sponsor SB 53, a bill that would continue in this important tradition by creating the infrastructure for a public option for cloud computing needed in AI development. If we want to see AI used to promote the public good and make life better and easier for people, then we must broaden access to the computing power required to fuel innovation.”

As AI continues to grow, researchers like AI Godfather Professor Yoshua Bengio released the International AI Safety Report—the first-ever document created by 100 independent AI experts globally. The safety report ensures protections to whistleblowers, who have a “key window into the safety practices of large AI labs and the emergent capabilities of large-scale AI models,” according to a press release.

“With CalCompute, we’re democratizing access to the computational resources that power AI innovation,” Sunny Gandhi, vice president of political affairs at Encode, said. “And by protecting whistleblowers, we’re ensuring that security isn’t sacrificed for speed. California can be a leader by making transformative technology both more accessible and more transparent.”

FALL FUNDRAISER

If you liked this article, please donate $5 to keep NationofChange online through November.

[give_form id=”735829″]