What people are saying

“In our assessment the new SB 1047 is substantially improved, to the point where we believe its benefits likely outweigh its costs … SB 1047 addresses real and serious concerns with catastrophic risk in AI systems. … Our work with biodefense experts, cyber experts, and others shows a trend towards the potential for serious misuses in the coming years – perhaps in as little as 1-3 years … We believe SB 1047, particularly after recent amendments, likely presents a feasible compliance burden for companies like ours, in light of the importance of averting catastrophic misuse.”

Anthropic’s letter

“SB 1047 wisely focuses on regulating the small number of well resourced companies building the biggest AI systems, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop. It does not regulate startup companies at the heart of California's innovation economy. As a company relying on these models, we believe this approach is the most effective way to mitigate risks across the entire AI ecosystem without burdening smaller developers and startups. We urge you to support and swiftly pass this crucial legislation. The rapid pace of AI development makes it imperative that these guardrails are put in place as soon as possible.”

Notion’s letter

“As one of the few companies that may in the future develop models that would be covered under SB 1047, Imbue believes this bill strikes an appropriate balance between promoting responsible innovation and mitigating potential risks from powerful AI. Imbue is proof that all frontier model developers can implement robust safety practices while remaining competitive.”
Imbue’s letter

Support for SB 1047

“Forty years ago when I was training the first version of the AI algorithms behind tools like ChatGPT, no one - including myself - would have predicted how far AI would progress. Powerful AI systems bring incredible promise, but the risks are also very real and should be taken extremely seriously. SB 1047 takes a very sensible approach to balance those concerns. I am still passionate about the potential for AI to save lives through improvements in science and medicine, but it’s critical that we have legislation with real teeth to address the risks. California is a natural place for that to start, as it is the place this technology has taken off"

— Professor Geoffrey Hinton, Turing Award winner
"AI systems beyond a certain level of capability can pose meaningful risks to democracies and public safety. Therefore, they should be properly tested and subject to appropriate safety measures. This bill offers a practical approach to accomplishing this, and is a major step toward the requirements that I've recommended to legislators."

— Professor Yoshua Bengio, Turing Award winner
"From my semi-outside perspective it's definitely looking quite reasonable… One thing I like about the bill that I think has not been highlighted enough, is that it introduces the "critical harm" category and explicitly separates between that and other bad things. I think this is really important, especially in our age where lots of people use phrases like "verbal violence" and try to stretch terms originally denoting extreme harm to make them cover everything (and similarly stretching "safety"). We need to compensate by re-creating the distinction between "really bad stuff" and "medium-bad stuff.”

— Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum
“SB 1047 just seems like good, reasonable policy, and we’re excited to see support academic research and startups within the bill"

— Evan Conrad, Founder at SF Compute Company
"I’m optimistic about this balanced legislative proposal that picks up where the White House Executive Order on AI left off. SB 1047 addresses at the state level the most dangerous, near-term potential risks to civil society and national security in practical and feasible ways. It thoughtfully navigates the serious risks that AI poses to both civil society and national security, offering pragmatic solutions. It lays the groundwork for further dialogue among the tech industry and federal, state, and local governments, aiming for a harmonious balance between fostering American innovation and protecting the country."

— Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan
"The theft of a powerful AI system from a leading lab by our adversaries would impose considerable risks on us all. Developers of the most advanced AI systems need to take significant cybersecurity precautions given the potential risks involved in their work. I’m glad to see that SB 1047 helps establish the necessary protective measures."

— Hon. Andrew C. Weber, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs.
"All things considered, I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill. For over 20 years, I have been an advocate for AI regulation, just as we regulate any product/technology that is a potential risk to the public."

- Elon Musk, founder of xAI
"As a capabilities researcher, accelerationist, libertarian, and ai founder... I'm coming out of the closet. I support sb 1047. Growing up, you realize we mandate seatbelts and licenses to de-risk outlawing cars. Light and early regulation is the path of optimal acceleration"

— Aidan Mclaughlin, founder of Topology AI