Gavin Newsom Pushes ‘Kill Switch’ for Advanced AI Systems in New Executive Order

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a new executive order Friday accelerating state oversight of artificial intelligence and directing officials to explore requiring developers of the most advanced AI systems to build an emergency “kill switch” into their models.

The order calls for a group of AI experts to develop recommendations within two months for strengthening California’s safety and security requirements. Among the proposals under consideration is requiring frontier AI companies to maintain a mechanism capable of shutting down powerful models during an emergency.

Newsom said California needs to move quickly as increasingly capable AI systems create new safety concerns. He argued that oversight should develop alongside the technology rather than waiting until potentially serious incidents occur.

The proposal would also examine requiring independent third parties to develop or verify safety plans for frontier AI companies. Other possibilities include independent evaluations of company risk assessments and mandatory reporting when developers experience serious incidents involving a loss of control over their systems.

Newsom’s order also accelerates implementation of two AI laws he signed earlier this month. Those measures establish standards for independent organizations that evaluate AI systems and create a state registry for auditors performing assessments of artificial intelligence companies.

The move revisits ideas contained in a major AI safety bill Newsom vetoed in 2024. That legislation, SB 1047, included provisions involving emergency shutdown capabilities for advanced models. Newsom said at the time that he supported AI safety measures but believed the legislation’s approach was too broad and could unnecessarily restrict innovation.

Newsom is now directing the Government Operations Agency and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to examine how similar safeguards could be implemented. Recommendations are due by Nov. 16 and could provide the foundation for additional legislation or regulations.

The governor is also calling for Washington to adopt elements of California’s AI framework nationally. Newsom criticized President Trump and Congress over what he described as insufficient federal action, while Trump has emphasized maintaining American leadership in AI and warned against regulations that could allow China to gain an advantage.

The debate comes as researchers and technology executives publicly discuss risks associated with increasingly powerful AI. Concerns include cybersecurity threats, misuse of advanced systems and scenarios in which developers could lose effective control of frontier models. The appropriate scale and design of government safeguards remain disputed within the technology industry and among policymakers.

For now, the executive order does not itself impose a mandatory statewide kill switch on AI companies. Instead, it directs California officials and outside experts to determine whether such a requirement is technically feasible and how it could be incorporated into the state’s expanding AI regulatory framework.