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AIQuiet 8d · day 8

Becerra, Hilton dodge AI safety commitments in California governor race

Neither candidate will back Newsom's kill-switch requirement or external monitoring, despite both calling for regulation.

newest coverage 7d agosummary written 7d ago4 pieces NewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Gov. Newsom issued an executive order Friday requiring state agencies to develop AI safety recommendations including kill-switches and external monitoring by November 16, a policy reversal after he vetoed similar legislation two years ago.
  • Becerra (leading by 22 points) has avoided committing to Newsom's specific proposals, issuing only a vague statement about firm guardrails; Hilton explicitly opposes the kill-switch as a gimmick and warns against rushed regulation.
  • AI safety advocates argue the incoming governor must act urgently on this issue, given Trump's deregulatory stance at the federal level.
  • Both candidates agree AI needs regulation but have provided no firm policy commitments, leaving California's AI safety stance uncertain after November's election.

“As governor, (Becerra) will set firm guardrails around real harms — including harms that could emerge when AI accelerates dangerous capabilities or operates beyond human oversight — and ensure California's AI safety laws are actively enforced.”

Jonathan Underland, Becerra campaign spokesperson · CalMatters ↗ · Sep 16

Xavier BecerraXavier Becerra Democratic California governor candidateSteve HiltonSteve Hilton Republican California governor candidateGavin NewsomGavin Newsom California governorScott Wisor Policy director, Secure AI Project

Becerra, Hilton dodge AI safety commitments in California governor race
CalMatters

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articles

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Sep 18, 11 AM; 4 pieces over 8 days (4 articles) Sep 18, 11 AM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 2, Google News 1Sep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 1 AM — quietSep 23, 3 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 7 AM — quietSep 23, 9 AM — quietSep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 1 PM — quietSep 23, 3 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — quietSep 23, 7 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietSep 24, 1 AM — quietSep 24, 3 AM — quietSep 24, 5 AM — quietSep 24, 7 AM — quietSep 24, 9 AM — quietSep 24, 11 AM — quietSep 24, 1 PM — quietSep 24, 3 PM — quietSep 24, 5 PM — quietSep 24, 7 PM — quietSep 24, 9 PM — quietSep 24, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quiet 1
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24yesterdaynow · 1:19 PM ET
  1. 1

    Neither candidate commits to Newsom's AI safety framework

    CalMatters reports that both Becerra and Hilton say AI needs regulation but have not committed to firm policies on AI safety, including Newsom's two key requirements. Becerra leads Hilton by 22 percentage points in the governor's race.

    “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”
    — Anthropic researcher, AI safety advocate · source
    1. 2 outlets Neither Becerra nor Hilton will commit to Newsom's new AI safety guidelines

      first by Jefferson Public Radio, 8d ago · also CalMatters

      1 more headline
  2. background

    Becerra vows "firm guardrails" but avoids specific commitments — Democrat Xavier Becerra's campaign declined an interview and instead issued a statement saying California cannot accept technology posing catastrophic risks. His spokesperson Jonathan Underland promised to enforce AI safety laws but did not confirm whether Becerra would implement Newsom's specific recommendations.

  3. background

    Hilton opposes kill-switch, calls it "a gimmick" — Republican candidate Steve Hilton rejected Newsom's kill-switch proposal in a Friday follow-up, saying he does not support requiring AI developers to program emergency shutdown mechanisms. He also declined to endorse external monitoring, warning against rushing into "really bad regulation."

  4. background

    Newsom issues AI safety executive order with kill-switch requirement — Gov. Newsom issued an executive order directing state agencies to develop safety recommendations including external evaluations and kill switches, reversing his earlier veto of similar legislation two years ago. He requested recommendations by November 16.

  5. background

    Anthropic researcher quits over AI safety concerns — An Anthropic researcher quit and declared on social media that AI builders "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," bringing AI safety to public attention.