Governor Newsom announces world-leading experts to deliver on his AI executive order, including advancing creation of a “kill switch”

California’s leadership guides the nation

The Governor is announcing today the following experts to help advise California’s work:

Jason Goldman — board member of the Center for Shared AI Prosperity, an early product leader at Google and Twitter, and the first White House Chief Digital Officer.
Gillian Hadfield — professor at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on AI alignment and innovative design for legal, regulatory, and technical systems for AI, and faculty member of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Alondra Nelson — professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and director of the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab, and former acting director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy.
Rob Reich — professor at Stanford University with a focus on the governance of frontier science and technology, and former senior advisor to the United States AI Safety Institute.

“Governor Newsom’s executive order addresses the hardest questions in AI safety governance, including who verifies a frontier lab’s safety claims and whether a model can be reliably shut down. California continues to show how democratic oversight can apply to one of the world’s most consequential industries.” – Jason Goldman, board member of the Center for Shared AI Prosperity, an early product leader at Google and Twitter, and the first White House Chief Digital Officer

“The need for effective, accountable, and independent oversight of increasingly powerful and autonomous AI is urgent and I’m very glad to join this great team to quickly help ensure we steer in the right direction.” Gillian Hadfield, professor at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on AI alignment and innovative design for legal, regulatory, and technical systems for AI, and faculty member of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence

“California has long led on technology governance, and this executive action asks exactly the right questions: not whether to govern AI, but how. Independent verification, AI auditing, and mandatory transparency are the kinds of durable institutional mechanisms that can govern rapid technological change and hold powerful actors accountable, so their tools serve humanity instead of endangering it. I look forward to bringing the perspective of independent research to these consequential recommendations to Governor Newsom.” Alondra Nelson, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and director of the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab, and former acting director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy.

“Innovation and safety go hand in hand in any responsible marketplace, and AI is no different. In order to gain the enormous potential benefits from AI, we need governance practices that establish trust in the technology. I am honored to join the effort in California to accelerate the scientific practice of AI testing and evaluation and establish robust frameworks of independent assessment and oversight of AI systems.” – Rob Reich, professor at Stanford University with a focus on the governance of frontier science and technology, and former senior advisor to the United States AI Safety Institute. Rob Reich, professor at Stanford University with a focus on the governance of frontier science and technology, and former senior advisor to the United States AI Safety Institute.

Decisive action to strengthen AI oversight

California provides a model for national standards around AI safety. Recently, Governor Newsom signed legislation creating first-in-the-nation safeguards and accountability measures to strengthen California’s nation-leading framework. The Governor signed into law Senate Bill 813 (McNerney), establishing a framework for independent verification organizations that can assess AI systems and models for safety and risk. Governor Newsom also signed AB 1405 (Bauer-Kahan), creating a state registry for AI auditors that assess AI systems and models for compliance with state law and establishing standards for their independence, transparency, and integrity.

Governor Newsom’s executive order takes these actions even further. Through the order, the Governor is directing the Government Operations Agency to accelerate the implementation timelines for SB 813 and AB 1405, and, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to convene national experts to develop recommendations for potential changes to further strengthen state law to:

Require frontier AI companies to embed a designated independent verification organization onsite in their labs to conduct regular audits and evaluations.
Require that the AI safety frameworks, transparency reports, and risk assessments that frontier AI companies are required to file under state law are verified pursuant to standards deemed adequate by an independent verification organization.
Advance the creation of a “kill switch” for frontier models, with the efficacy of the switch verified on an ongoing basis by an independent verification organization.
Update definitions of critical safety incidents to include loss-of-control incidents such as the Hugging Face attack.

The need for state action

Governor Newsom’s executive order comes after recent alarming incidents that have prompted many Americans, including leaders in the AI industry, to call on the industry to pace the development of AI systems and models and push for more stringent government regulations to address security and safety risks. In response, the federal government has done nothing and Trump’s answer is to only rename artificial intelligence to “super intelligence.”

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