California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Friday positioning the state to lead on artificial intelligence oversight.
The order directs the state to convene a group of experts. This group must deliver recommendations within two months on strengthening AI safety measures in state law.
Newsom wants the expert group to consider several requirements for AI companies. These include embedding independent verification groups onsite for regular audits.
Companies might also face independent auditor standards for transparency reports and risk assessments. Another consideration is creating a routinely verified kill switch.
Firms would also need to report loss of control incidents as critical safety incidents. An example includes the OpenAI attack on Hugging Face.
The order directs a state agency to speed up implementation of two recent laws. These laws create a framework for independent verifiers to assess AI safety and establish a state registry of AI auditors.
These actions arrive amid active debate in Washington. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently warned of a greater than 10 percent chance that artificial intelligence could kill all humans within a decade.
Congress shows little hope of passing substantial bills soon. The House is on recess until November, and impending midterm elections stall Senate movement.
President Donald Trump stated that the only control artificial intelligence needs is a strong and smart president.
Newsom suggested calling California lawmakers in for a special legislative session on artificial intelligence alongside potential executive action. He calls on Congress and Trump to review and adopt the state framework.
Newsom noted that federal failure to create oversight should alarm Americans. He emphasized the urgency of acting before it is too late.
The expert group will deliver its safety recommendations within two months.
