Gavin Newsom Signs New AI Regulations, Warns Technology Could Pose Major Threat
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two new laws establishing additional oversight of artificial intelligence, warning that the rapidly advancing technology presents potentially serious risks that require stronger safeguards.
The measures create new standards for independent evaluations and audits of AI systems. Senate Bill 813 establishes a framework for independent organizations to assess artificial intelligence models, while Assembly Bill 1405 creates a state registry for AI auditors and establishes requirements governing their independence and transparency.
Newsom said the latest concerns surrounding increasingly powerful AI systems demonstrate the need for governments to prepare for potential dangers as the technology advances. He argued that California can encourage technological innovation while simultaneously requiring greater accountability from companies developing powerful models.
The governor also called for federal officials to establish nationwide AI regulations, arguing that individual states cannot adequately address every potential risk posed by increasingly capable systems. California is home to many of the world’s largest technology and artificial intelligence companies, putting the state at the center of the debate over how aggressively the industry should be regulated.
The new laws come despite Newsom previously rejecting some attempts to impose sweeping restrictions on artificial intelligence. In 2024, he vetoed SB 1047, a high-profile proposal that would have imposed safety requirements on developers of the most powerful AI models. Newsom said at the time that the measure did not take the appropriate approach to determining which systems should face heightened safety requirements.
Newsom has nevertheless signed numerous narrower AI regulations since then. California enacted a major frontier AI transparency law in 2025 requiring certain developers to disclose safety frameworks, report specified critical safety incidents and provide protections for whistleblowers.
California is also expanding regulations aimed at protecting children from emerging technology. Newsom signed a separate package Thursday imposing new requirements on AI chatbots and social media platforms, including risk assessments for chatbot operators and restrictions on addictive social-media features for users under 16.
Newsom’s evolving position reflects the challenge facing policymakers as AI capabilities develop rapidly. His administration has promoted the technology for uses ranging from government services and housing permits to road safety and wildfire detection while simultaneously arguing that stronger oversight is necessary to address emerging risks.
The governor says California intends to continue pursuing both innovation and regulation rather than treating them as competing goals. With concerns about advanced AI increasingly reaching lawmakers in Washington as well, pressure is growing for the federal government to establish a broader national framework governing the technology.