Newsom vetos AI safety bill, Democrat who wrote bill slams decision

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed an artificial intelligence safety bill on Sunday after the technology industry argued it could drive AI companies out of the state.

He said the bill "falls short of providing a flexible, comprehensive solution to curbing the potential catastrophic risks."

Newsom announced new initiatives around AI that would engage the industry on the best regulatory steps to take going forward. 

Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener, who wrote the bill, argued that the state is less safe without his bill as law.

“Companies aiming to create an extremely powerful technology face no binding restrictions," he said. "Voluntary commitments from industry are not enforceable and rarely work out well for the public."