California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), widely believed to be a 2028 presidential contender, signed an executive order to expand oversight measures on artificial intelligence programs.
Under the order, the Government Operations Agency, alongside industry experts, is required to submit proposals for AI safety plans to Newsom’s office. The recommendations are to include transparency reports, risk assessments, the creation of a “kill switch” for AI models, and the “efficacy of the switch verified on an ongoing basis by an independent verification organization,” as well as updating the “definition of critical safety incidents that AI companies are required to report to include a range of loss-of-control incidents.”
“The federal government’s abject failure to create any form of meaningful AI oversight or accountability should alarm every American, especially when AI CEOs themselves are begging for regulation,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re not waiting to act – we’re going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it’s too late. We’re going to do this thoughtfully but with urgent velocity; the stakes are too high to wait or delay action.”
Newsom added that his state is “building on the strongest AI regulatory framework in the nation. California has already built a national model, and our policy should be the national baseline.”
President Trump has criticized demands for restrictions on artificial intelligence, calling anti-AI ideas circulating within the United States a “sick conspiracy.”
“There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” he said. “We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!”
