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State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) are partnering on two artificial intelligence bills with the goal of creating safety standards and independent third-party review for AI.
SB 813 and AB 1405 are being amended to work together as part of a broader system for AI oversight. SB 813 would create voluntary safety standards for the responsible development of AI and AB 1405 would establish a registry for independent auditors to verify AI system safety, according to a June press release announcing the collaboration.
SB 813, authored by McNerney, would establish the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission, consisting of AI industry experts, academics and public officials. The commission would develop voluntary AI safety standards across a range of industries and applications.
The bill passed the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee in an 11-2 vote and moved on to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, according to Robert Gammon of McNerney’s office.
AB 1405, authored by Bauer-Kahan, would create a registry for independent third-party AI auditors. It would set standards for auditor independence, ethical practice and financial independence, according to the press release.
AB 1405 remains on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s suspense file and cannot be amended yet, according to Lauren Howe of Bauer-Kahan’s office. The revisions are planned to be made in the weeks ahead.
“AI has tremendous potential to improve our lives, but without sufficient guardrails, it also poses significant risks,” McNerney said. “Under SB 813, California will become the first state to create voluntary standards for the responsible development of AI.”
Bauer-Kahan said independent review is an important part of AI policy.
“Good AI policy requires independent verification of safety,” Bauer-Kahan said. “AB 1405 will take a significant step in creating the ecosystem for independent verification to become a reality.”
The bills are intended to respond to both sides of artificial intelligence. While the technology holds the promise of improving public services, advancing scientific discovery and supporting economic growth, there are also concerns regarding bias, cyber fraud, misinformation, deepfakes, election tampering, psychological harm to children and job displacement.
Under SB 813, the proposed commission could also create working groups of experts and stakeholders to help develop practical standards that keep pace with technological advancement. The standards would be published on the commission’s website.
AB 1405 would create a system for registered auditors to assess AI systems and models. The bill is intended to ensure that audits are conducted independently and with clear ethical standards.
“By working in concert with Sen. McNerney we are building a framework where California leads the way in creating a system of independent, verified auditors and known standards that protect our communities from AI harms and unchecked power in the hands of a few companies,” Bauer-Kahan said.
Both bills would need to be enacted for the proposed AI safety framework to be implemented.
