Tech billionaire and Twitter owner Elon Musk has endorsed California's SB 1047 AI safety bill, calling it a "tough call" but ultimately necessary to regulate the potential risks of artificial intelligence. The bill would require developers to implement safety testing and safeguards, and allow the state attorney general to take action against those who cause "critical harm."
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the recent owner of Twitter, has endorsed California's SB 1047 AI safety bill, becoming the latest high-profile figure to weigh in on the growing debate over how to regulate artificial intelligence (AI).
In a post on his social media platform X, Musk wrote that endorsing the bill was not an easy decision, but that he believes California should pass it to regulate AI and mitigate its potential risks. He wrote that he has been an advocate for AI regulation for over 20 years, just as we regulate any product or technology that is a potential risk to the public.
Elon Musk Endorses California's AI Safety Bill
The bill would require developers who spend more than $100 million to build an AI model to implement safety testing and safeguards, while also allowing the state attorney general to take civil action against the developer of AI models that cause "critical harm," which the bill defines as causing mass casualties or at least $500 million in damages.
The bill also requires developers to enact a protocol that can "enact a full shutdown" of the AI model at any time and provide for whistleblower protections.
Elon Musk Endorses California's AI Safety Bill
SB 1047 is just one of 65 bills that California state lawmakers have attempted to introduce regarding AI during the legislative season, according to Reuters, adding that many of the bills were already considered dead.
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election nears, experts have warned about the potential spread of misinformation that artificial intelligence and other tools can produce. Musk's endorsement of SB 1047 comes as the debate over how to regulate AI continues to heat up, with some experts calling for more strict regulation and others arguing that it could stifle innovation.
Musk's endorsement is a significant development in the debate over AI regulation, given his prominence in the tech industry and his experience with AI development.
While some have praised Musk's endorsement, others have raised concerns about the bill's potential impact on innovation. Some critics argue that the bill's requirements could be too burdensome for small businesses and startups, and could discourage innovation in the AI field.
Others argue that the bill is necessary to protect the public from the potential risks of AI, and that the benefits of regulation outweigh the costs.
The debate over AI regulation is likely to continue in the coming months and years, as policymakers around the world grapple with the challenges of regulating this rapidly developing technology.
