Musk Advocates for AI Regulation in California

(Reuters) – Elon Musk, chief of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and owner of social media platform X, expressed his support on Monday for California to pass an AI bill requiring tech companies and AI developers to conduct safety testing on their models.

“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,” Musk stated in a post on X, urging the state to approve the SB 1047 bill.

California state lawmakers have tried to introduce 65 AI-related bills this legislative season, according to the state’s legislative database. Proposed measures include ensuring unbiased algorithmic decisions and protecting the intellectual property of deceased individuals from AI exploitation. However, many of these bills have already been abandoned.

Earlier, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) backed OpenAI in supporting another California AI bill, AB 3211, which would require tech companies to label AI-generated content. This includes various forms, from harmless memes to deepfakes that could spread misinformation regarding political candidates.

With a significant number of countries with a third of the world’s population holding elections this year, experts express concern about AI-generated content’s influence, which has already been observed in some elections, such as in Indonesia.