California Governor Gavin Newsom is at present contemplating 38 AI-related payments, together with the extremely contentious SB 1047, which the state’s legislature despatched to his desk for ultimate approval. These payments attempt to handle probably the most urgent points in synthetic intelligence: the whole lot from futuristic AI techniques creating existential threat, deepfake nudes from AI picture turbines, to Hollywood studios creating AI clones of useless performers.
“Dwelling to the vast majority of the world’s main AI firms, California is working to harness these transformative applied sciences to assist handle urgent challenges whereas learning the dangers they current,” mentioned Governor Newsom’s workplace in a press launch.
Thus far, Governor Newsom has signed eight of them into legislation, a few of that are America’s most far reaching AI legal guidelines but.
Deepfake nudes
Newsom signed two legal guidelines that handle the creation and unfold of deepfake nudes on Thursday. SB 926 criminalizes the act, making it unlawful to blackmail somebody with AI-generated nude photos that resemble them.
SB 981, which additionally grew to become legislation on Thursday, requires social media platforms to determine channels for customers to report deepfake nudes that resemble them. The content material should then be quickly blocked whereas the platform investigates it, and completely eliminated if confirmed.
Watermarks
Additionally on Thursday, Newsom signed a invoice into legislation to assist the general public determine AI-generated content material. SB 942 requires extensively used generative AI techniques to reveal they’re AI-generated of their content material’s provenance information. For instance, all photos created by OpenAI’s Dall-E now want somewhat tag of their metadata saying they’re AI generated.
Many AI firms already do that, and there are a number of free instruments on the market that may assist folks learn this provenance information and detect AI-generated content material.
Election deepfakes
Earlier this week, California’s governor signed three legal guidelines cracking down on AI deepfakes that would affect elections.
One in every of California’s new legal guidelines, AB 2655, requires massive on-line platforms, like Fb and X, to take away or label AI deepfakes associated to elections, in addition to create channels to report such content material. Candidates and elected officers can search injunctive reduction if a big on-line platform just isn’t complying with the act.
One other legislation, AB 2839, takes purpose at social media customers who submit, or repost, AI deepfakes that would deceive voters about upcoming elections. The legislation went into impact instantly on Tuesday, and Newsom prompt Elon Musk could also be prone to violating it.
AI-generated political ads now require outright disclosures beneath California’s new legislation, AB 2355. Meaning shifting ahead, Trump could not have the ability to get away with posting AI deepfakes of Taylor Swift endorsing him on Reality Social (she endorsed Kamala Harris). The FCC has proposed the same disclosure requirement at a nationwide stage and has already made robocalls utilizing AI-generated voices unlawful.
Actors and AI
Two legal guidelines that Newsom signed on Tuesday — which SAG-AFTRA, the nation’s largest movie and broadcast actors union, was pushing for — create new requirements for California’s media business. AB 2602 requires studios to receive permission from an actor earlier than creating an AI-generated reproduction of their voice or likeness.
In the meantime, AB 1836 prohibits studios from creating digital replicas of deceased performers with out consent from their estates (e.g., legally cleared replicas have been used within the latest “Alien” and “Star Wars” films, in addition to in different movies).
What’s left?
Governor Newsom nonetheless has 30 AI-related payments to resolve on earlier than the top of September. Throughout a chat with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on Tuesday throughout the 2024 Dreamforce convention, Newsom could have tipped his hat about SB 1047, and the way he’s excited about regulating the AI business extra broadly.
“There’s one invoice that’s form of outsized when it comes to public discourse and consciousness; it’s this SB 1047,” mentioned Newsom onstage Tuesday. “What are the demonstrable dangers in AI and what are the hypothetical dangers? I can’t remedy for the whole lot. What can we remedy for? And in order that’s the strategy we’re taking throughout the spectrum on this.”
Verify again on this text for updates on what AI legal guidelines California’s governor indicators, and what he doesn’t.
