Elon Musk supports the controversial AI regulation bill SB 1047 in California, despite worries it could hinder U.S. AI research.
Elon Musk, a billionaire technology entrepreneur, has expressed his support for a piece of legislation that some people are concerned will hinder research in artificial intelligence in the United States.
Elon Musk stated that it was “a tough call” that would “make some people upset” in a message that he published on his social media platform X on August 27.
“I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill.”
However, after considering all factors, Elon Musk went on to say that he has been a proponent of artificial intelligence regulation for more than twenty years, similar to how we regulate any product or technology that poses a possible harm to the general public.
Democratic legislators in the state of California sponsored the “Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act,” also known as SB 1047, in February.
Not only would it oblige creators of artificial intelligence to establish safety rules to prevent disasters such as catastrophic cyberattacks or mass casualties, but it would also mandate that AI models have a button labeled “emergency stop”.
Many in Silicon Valley have voiced their opposition to the proposed new legislation. Guillaume Verdon, the leader of the ‘e/acc’ movement within Big Tech, the founder of the stealth AI startup Extropic, and a former Google engineer, responded by saying that artificial intelligences can be powerful, but “an authoritarian government with shadow control over powerful AIs is scarier”.
“[It] sets an awful precedent at a national level and will open up the door for govt lawfare against companies that don’t offer govt LLM backdoors.”
He went on to say that on August 21, OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon warned that the bill could stifle innovation and drive talent out of California.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Zoe Lofgren, the ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Ro Khanna, a Silicon Valley representative, and Andreessen Horowitz and Meta, two of the most well-known venture capitalists and large tech companies, have all opposed the bill.
The scenario is “like the Telegram situation but for AI,” Verdon said, comparing it to the recent arrest of Telegram creator Pavel Durov and the ramifications for free expression and decentralization.
He also stated that the situation is similar to Telegram’s. In the meantime, safety advocates for artificial intelligence have responded to the criticism. California State Senator Scott Wiener, who was also a co-creator of the bill, publicly attacked OpenAI’s objections to the measure.
Wiener argued that the bill was necessary for protecting both public safety and national security.
Dan Hendrycks, the Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Safety, showed his support for Musk by yelling, “You’re the best, Elon!” He then summarized the contents of the controversial Senate bill SB 1047, which is currently under debate.
The bill also calls for the creation of a new Frontier Model Division (FMD) to oversee compliance and the implementation of yearly third-party audits of AI safety measures.
