Newsom Orders California AI Safety Review Amid Federal Inaction

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday directing state experts to develop stronger artificial intelligence safety regulations within two months, explicitly criticizing federal lawmakers for failing to act on AI risks.

The order comes weeks after an Anthropic researcher publicly resigned and warned of AI's existential dangers, triggering renewed debate in Washington over the technology's governance. Congress has yet to pass meaningful AI legislation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and President Donald Trump has resisted regulatory calls.

What the order requires

Newsom's directive convenes a panel of experts tasked with creating recommendations to strengthen California's AI safety framework. According to the governor's office, potential measures under consideration include requiring independent third parties to write safety plans for frontier AI companies and mandating that developers build "kill switches" capable of shutting down models in emergencies.

The expert group has a two-month deadline to deliver its guidance.

Why it matters

California's move positions the state as a regulatory counterweight to federal inaction at a moment when AI capabilities are advancing rapidly and concerns about safety risks are intensifying. For companies developing frontier AI models, California's regulations could effectively set a national standard given the state's economic scale and concentration of AI firms. The executive order also signals how AI governance is becoming a defining issue for Democratic presidential contenders ahead of 2028, with multiple governors and senators staking out aggressive regulatory positions.

Political context and 2028 ambitions

Newsom, whose gubernatorial term ends January 4, 2027, has not formally announced a presidential campaign but has indicated he is considering one. He joins other potential 2028 Democratic candidates advocating stricter AI oversight, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has called for third-party model oversight, and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who is introducing legislation to create an AI company-funded support program for displaced workers.

"The federal government's abject failure to create any form of meaningful AI oversight or accountability should alarm every American, especially when AI CEOs themselves are begging for regulation," Newsom said in a statement. "We're not waiting to act – we're going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it's too late."

The governor framed his order as building on existing California laws, including legislation he signed earlier in September establishing a framework for third-party AI auditors.

Trump has characterized AI safety concerns as a "hoax," creating a sharp partisan divide on the issue. Democrats have largely coalesced around calls for regulation, with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey urging the president to convene a special congressional session to address AI risks.

Details of the executive order and Newsom's statement were first reported by CNBC.