Scott Wiener on his fight to make Big Tech disclose AI's dangers

This is not California state Senator Scott Wiener’s first attempt at addressing the dangers of AI.

In 2024, Silicon Valley mounted a fierce campaign against his controversial AI safety bill, SB 1047, which would have made tech companies liable for the potential harms of their AI systems. Tech leaders warned that it would stifle America’s AI boom. Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately vetoed the bill , echoing similar concerns, and a popular AI hacker house promptly threw a “SB 1047 Veto Party.” One attendee told me, “Thank god, AI is still legal.”

Now Wiener has returned with a new AI safety bill, SB 53, which sits on Governor Newsom’s desk awaiting his signature or veto sometime in the next few weeks. This time around, the bill is much more popular or at least, Silicon Valley doesn’t