California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a two-month drive to develop a state framework for regulating artificial intelligence, putting safety and security measures for advanced systems at the centre of the work.
Newsom issued the executive order on Friday. It convenes a group of “world-leading experts” to begin shaping a framework for state law governing the technology. The committee must produce a set of guidelines within two months.
The guidelines are intended “for California to reinforce and strengthen its AI safety and security laws”. The order directs the group to examine proposals for independent monitors at frontier AI companies, safety plans and a required “kill switch” or emergency shutoff mechanism for advanced systems.
The order does not identify the panel members, the companies that could fall under monitoring requirements or the standards a safety plan would have to meet. It is also unclear whether the recommendations will become law.
Newsom presented the order as an effort to move quickly while maintaining care over the rules being developed. “We're going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it's too late,” he said.
He added: “We're going to do this thoughtfully but with urgent velocity; the stakes are too high to wait or delay action”.
The executive order sets a compressed timetable for experts to turn broad questions about oversight of frontier AI development into concrete recommendations. Its focus on outside monitoring, safety planning and emergency shutoff mechanisms places operational controls alongside the wider aim of reinforcing California’s AI safety and security laws.
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