On Monday, billionaire tech leader Elon Musk voiced his backing for a California bill designed to enforce safety regulations on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems—a proposal that has stirred debate among major tech companies, startups, and researchers.
“This is a challenging decision that may upset some, but all things considered, I believe California should probably move forward with the SB 1047 AI safety bill,” Musk remarked on his platform, X.
Elon Musk supports California’s SB 1047, a bill proposing rigorous safety checks for AI systems to protect the public
Musk, a longtime advocate for AI oversight similar to how potentially dangerous technologies are regulated, reiterated his position. “For over 20 years, I’ve been pushing for AI regulation, just as we do with any technology that might pose a risk to the public,” noted the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who also heads the AI company xAI.
The proposed Senate Bill 1047 in California seeks to require extensive safety checks on large-scale AI models before they are released to the public and would hold developers accountable for any damage their models might cause.
However, the bill has met resistance from several leading tech companies, including Meta, Google, and AI firms like OpenAI, who argue that the regulations could stifle innovation in California’s booming tech sector.
This opposition has been echoed by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other California Democrats, who recently appealed to Governor Gavin Newsom (D) to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.
Despite the criticism, SB 1047 has gained support from prominent AI researchers such as Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton. Recently, after substantial revisions, AI startup Anthropic also threw its support behind the bill, acknowledging that the updates had improved it to a point where its benefits likely surpass its costs.
