California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Barrera today issued the following statement following Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of SB 1047 (Wiener; D-San Francisco):
“We are grateful to Governor Newsom for the veto of SB 1047. Regulatory efforts to promote AI safety are critical, but SB 1047 missed the mark in key ways. As a consequence, the bill would have stifled AI innovation, putting California’s place as the global hub of innovation at tremendous risk.
“CalChamber understands that work to properly regulate and harness the power of AI technology is in its infancy and next year more work will be underway to create new standards. As policy makers embark on these efforts in 2025, we urge them to remain centered on key principles that include creating laws and regulations that operate with clear and consistent definitions, and are informed by people with deep expertise in this emerging field. New policies should conform to national standards and be informed by computer scientists to ensure technological feasibility. In addition, there needs to be robust enforcement and monitoring of already-illegal uses of AI since many of the worst cases are already prohibited by law.
“CalChamber stands ready to partner with the Legislature and Governor in future efforts to ensure the safety and transparency of frontier AI models.”
About CalChamber
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in California. Membership represents one-quarter of the private sector jobs in California and includes firms of all sizes and companies from every industry within the state. Leveraging our front-line knowledge of laws and regulations, we provide products and services to help businesses comply with both federal and state law. CalChamber, a not-for-profit organization with roots dating to 1890, promotes international trade and investment in order to stimulate California’s economy and create jobs. Please visit our website at www.calchamber.com.
