Gavin Newsom Signs Laws Regulating AI Evaluators

Governor Gavin Newsom signed two laws establishing standards for independent verification organizations and creating a professional registry for artificial intelligence evaluators. These measures aim to prevent catastrophic AI risks by ensuring third-party audits of powerful AI systems and eliminating performative testing.

State Senator Jerry McNerney and Assemblymember Rebbecca Bauer-Kahan authored the legislation to hold companies such as Google and Anthropic accountable for product safety. While the laws seek to standardize audits, critics including the Federation of American Scientists warn that conflicts of interest arise when AI labs pay their own evaluators. The think tank suggested a pooled funding model to avoid the issues seen in the bond-rating industry.

California is aligning these regulations with European Union standards and watermarking laws. This effort mirrors international momentum, with nearly 30 countries supporting a joint statement on independent evaluations. At the federal level, the bipartisan Frontier AI Act seeks to implement similar testing requirements into United States law.