California governor signs AI regulation order requiring safety guardrails, defying Trump
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Newsom Signs Executive Order Requiring AI Companies to Provide Safety, Privacy Guardrails
Expertise I have more than 30 years' experience in journalism in the heart of the Silicon Valley. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed an executive order requiring AI companies that do business with the state to institute safety and privacy guidelines. The order (PDF) is designed to
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Newsom orders government to consider AI harm in contract rules
The next time the federal government labels a business a supply-chain risk, as the Department of Defense did last month to San Francisco-based AI tools maker Anthropic, the state of California will review that designation and make its own decision about whether to do business with them. That's
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What to Know About California's Executive Order on A.I.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Monday issued a first-of-its-kind executive order requiring safety and privacy guardrails from artificial intelligence companies that contract with the state. California has been a leader in tech lawmaking, and was the first state to pass a law mandating safety
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California cements its role as the national testing ground for AI rules
Why it matters: California's multi-pronged approach makes it likely that AI companies in the U.S. will treat the state's rules as a de facto national standard, even as the White House moves to rein in state regulation. * It follows a familiar pattern: California acts first, companies adapt to keep
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California to impose new AI regulations in defiance of Trump call
Gavin Newsom signs order to prioritize public safety and rights as president seeks to prevent 'cumbersome' rules California will impose new standards on artificial intelligence companies seeking to do business with the state, defying Donald Trump's demands to keep the controversial industry as
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California Tightens AI Contract Rules as Fight With Trump Admin Grows - Decrypt
State officials will develop procurement rules addressing issues including bias, misuse, and civil rights risks. The conflict between Washington and the states over artificial intelligence policy escalated Monday after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring stronger
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California imposes new AI regulations on businesses in "first-of-its-kind" executive order signed by Newsom
Cecilio Padilla is a digital producer for CBS Sacramento and a Sacramento-area native who has been covering Northern California for more than a decade. California will require artificial intelligence companies to implement safety and privacy guardrails under a new order from Gov. Gavin
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Newsom Orders Government to Consider AI Harm in Contract Rules
The next time the federal government labels a business a supply-chain risk, as the Department of Defense did last month to San Francisco-based AI tools maker Anthropic, the state of California will review that designation and make its own decision about whether to do business with them. That's
[9]
California AI order requires firms seeking state contracts to have safeguards against abuse - The Economic Times
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday that requires firms seeking contracts with the state to provide safeguards against AI misuse, including the generation of illegal content, harmful bias and violations of civil rights. To avoid misinformation, the order requires
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California Governor Gavin Newsom Cracks Down On AI Misuse With New Order Mandating Safeguards: 'While Tru
On Monday, California tightened oversight of AI, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) rolling out sweeping new rules aimed at curbing misuse and protecting civil liberties. New AI Rules Target Misuse, Bias, Deepfakes Newsom signed an executive order requiring companies seeking contracts with the
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California AI order requires firms seeking state contracts to have safeguards against abuse
March 30 (Reuters) - California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday that requires firms seeking contracts with the state to provide safeguards against AI misuse, including the generation of illegal content, harmful bias and violations of civil rights. * To avoid
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Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring AI companies doing business with California to implement safety and privacy guardrails. The move positions the state as a national testing ground for AI regulation, directly challenging the Trump administration's push for federal control and minimal state oversight of the AI industry.
California Takes Lead on AI Regulation Amid Federal Pushback
Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday requiring AI companies seeking contracts with California to institute comprehensive safety and privacy guardrails
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. The order represents a direct challenge to the Trump administration's efforts to prevent what it calls "cumbersome" state-level AI regulation5
. "California leads in AI, and we're going to use every tool we have to ensure companies protect people's rights, not exploit them or put them in harm's way," Newsom said in a statement1
. The move cements California's role as the national testing ground for AI rules, with industry observers noting that AI companies will likely treat the state's standards as a de facto national benchmark given California's market dominance4
.
Source: Benzinga
What the Executive Order Demands From AI Companies
Under the new state contract rules, AI companies vying for government contracts must explain their policies on preventing exploitation of individuals, including blocking the spread of child sexual abuse material and violent pornography
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. The order also requires companies to detail how they address model bias and avoid unlawful discrimination, detention, and surveillance5
. California will examine whether AI models are used to monitor individuals or block certain speech, and companies must demonstrate how they're avoiding bias in their systems3
. The state has four months to develop comprehensive AI policies that prioritize public safety and consumer privacy5
. Additionally, the order calls for watermarking of AI-generated content or manipulated videos created by state officials to guard against misinformation and allow consumers to distinguish between human-generated and AI-generated images3
.California Asserts Independence on AI Supply Chain Risk Assessments
In a pointed response to the Pentagon's recent dispute with Anthropic, the executive order enables California to separate its procurement authorization process from federal oversight
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. When the Department of Defense labels a business an AI supply chain risk, as it did with San Francisco-based Anthropic last month, California will now conduct its own independent assessment2
. The Pentagon had designated Anthropic a supply chain risk after the startup refused contract terms that would have allowed the military to use its systems for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weaponry2
. This provision signals California's willingness to chart its own course on tech lawmaking, even when it conflicts with federal oversight decisions.
Source: Axios
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Clash With Trump Administration Over National Standard for AI
The executive order arrives as the White House maintains that federal government should control AI regulation and that requiring AI companies to comply with 50 different sets of state laws would prevent the US from "winning" the global AI race
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. Donald Trump's administration released a policy framework for regulating generative AI that focuses on job displacement, copyright issues, and protecting vulnerable groups like children, but critics argue it doesn't adequately regulate the fast-growing industry1
. The White House framework takes a light touch approach and notably does not address issues related to model bias, discrimination, or civil rights2
. Trump signed an executive order in December directing the Justice Department to establish an "AI Litigation Task Force" to challenge state AI regulations5
. Companies including Google, Meta, OpenAI and Andreessen Horowitz have called for a national standard for AI rather than navigating regulations across all 50 states1
.Political Implications and Industry Response
Newsom, a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is positioning himself as the inverse of Trump on AI regulation
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. "While others in Washington are designing policy and creating contracts in the shadow of misuse, we're focused on doing this the right way," Newsom stated1
. His handling of AI issues is closely watched by union leaders, who pledged in February they won't support his presidential run without stronger worker protections from the technology, and by Silicon Valley donors pouring money into California politics ahead of midterm elections2
. OpenAI responded positively, saying "we are glad to see Governor Newsom continuing to lead on AI so California can continue to lead the world on AI," while Google and Anthropic declined to comment4
. Multiple AI and tech policy sources suggest the executive order may lack strong legal teeth, but will influence company policies because all major AI companies want to do business with California4
. States have already passed more than 100 laws addressing AI concerns, from shielding children from chatbots to blocking copyright-protected material pilfering5
. California legislators are also advancing additional AI bills, including a sweeping chatbot bill for protecting minors4
.
Source: CNET
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