California Takes Lead in AI Accountability
California Senator Steve Padilla has introduced two bills - SB 892 and SB 893 - to establish ethical and safety guidelines for AI systems, especially those used by state agencies. The bills also aim to increase access to AI research and resources within the state.
Summary
SB 892 requires the state Department of Technology to develop standards around safety, privacy, and non-discrimination for AI services. It prohibits state agencies from contracting AI services that don't meet these standards.
SB 893 establishes a California AI research hub to provide academics with access to compute resources and data.
These bills follow an earlier one by Senator Scott Wiener to increase transparency of "frontier" AI models and establish a state AI research center.
Several other states have also started exploring regulation around use of AI by government agencies.
Federal policymakers have proposed bills around disclosure of training data, digital likeness protections, and banning AI in campaign ads. But no major federal AI regulations have passed yet.