The news about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of a far-reaching artificial intelligence bill was overheated and somewhat entertaining. “How California politics killed a nationally important AI bill,” blared the headline in a story this week in Politico. The subhead was even more overwrought: “The demise of California’s big swing at artificial intelligence safety underscored the powerful forces arrayed against regulation that’s seen as going too far.”
Actually, the governor detailed a rationale in a long veto message. For starters, he sensibly considered the impact on one of his state’s emergent industries:
California is home to 32 of the world’s 50 leading Al companies, pioneers in one of the most significant technological advances in modern history. We lead in this space because of our research and education institutions, our diverse and motivated workforce, and our free-spirited cultivation of…
