Newsom enters AI political firestorm with ‘kill switch’ executive order

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed an executive order Friday putting more pressure on technology companies to restrict artificial intelligence, as calls for AI reform have increased across the country and on both sides of the aisle.The governor’s action comes after several major AI companies pushed changes last week to how the technology is developed and regulated, warning that humanity could otherwise be erased or controlled by it. Other critics have argued that existing product liability regulations and additional safeguards already address existential threats, and that such calls for reforms are not based on solid evidence of true concerns, but rather mark an “orchestrated” push that could allow certain Big Tech leaders to form a cartel and squelch competition.Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential contender, backed more government control over AI this week, saying that the Trump administration’s “abject failure to create any form of meaningful AI oversight or accountability should alarm every American, especially when AI CEOs themselves are begging for regulation.” The governor’s executive order speeds up the implementation of two AI bills he signed earlier this month. The order also mandates experts gather to provide California with recommendations on AI within two months and to consider ideas such as a “kill switch” for AI models and requiring independent third parties to draft safety plans for AI companies. “With Donald Trump and Congress failing to lead, California is stepping up to keep all Americans safe,” Newsom said in a post to X, saying his action will “dramatically accelerate independent oversight of AI companies.”Newsom’s action is notable, as California’s Silicon Valley is considered the United States’s technology center. OpenAI and Anthropic, both technology companies that called for AI reform last week, are based in the state.An independent verification organization would be required to sign off on the creation of the “kill switch,” which could be a mechanism technology companies use that can stop any outside interference, terminate user access to the AI model, suspend any access to the model, and shut down the model if it goes rogue.Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) pushed a similar proposal in Congress earlier this week, but it was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who expressed concern that immediately mandating a kill switch for industries such as drug developers could prematurely stifle innovation before Congress has a chance to better understand the technology.President Donald Trump has warned that the backlash to AI will empower China to surpass the U.S. as the world’s dominant superpower and has suggested that Beijing is deliberately pushing anti-AI narratives in the U.S. to squash data centers, which power artificial intelligence and the wider technology grid.Newsom’s order directs the Government Operations Agency, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to submit safety recommendations for AI frontier models by Nov. 16. The recommendations will be developed with the help of experts.ANTHROPIC CEO PITCHES AI SLOW-DOWN PLAN AFTER OPENAI-HUGGING FACE HACK: ‘WE OWE IT TO HUMANITY’The order speeds up the implementation of new rules that mandate a framework for independent organizations to assess AI models for safety. It accelerates the implementation of California’s AI auditor registry and oversight program from January 2029 to December 2027.“We’re not waiting to act – we’re going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it’s too late,” Newsom said. “We’re going to do this thoughtfully but with urgent velocity; the stakes are too high to wait or delay action.”