Gavin Newsom issues executive order to accelerate AI oversight and kill switch
Newsom has called on the federal government to adopt California's AI framework nationally as the country continues to debate standards for frontier AI systems.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order accelerating the rollout of independent AI oversight and directing experts to explore additional safeguards, including an emergency “kill switch” for frontier AI models.
The order follows Newsom’s signing of SB 813 and AB 1405, which established a framework for independent organizations to verify AI systems and created a state registry for AI auditors with requirements covering independence, transparency and integrity.
The executive order directs the Government Operations Agency to accelerate implementation of those laws and work with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to convene experts from across the country.
Their recommendations will examine whether frontier AI developers should be required to use independent organizations for regular onsite audits, have safety plans and risk assessments independently verified, and maintain emergency shutdown mechanisms whose effectiveness is periodically tested.
AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.
Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.
The state will also consider treating certain loss-of-control events as critical safety incidents.
The initiative comes as California continues to expand its AI regulatory framework across frontier-model safety, child protection, privacy, synthetic media, cybersecurity and AI-enabled fraud.
Newsom said California’s approach should serve as a national model and urged Congress and the federal government to adopt the state’s framework or use it as a baseline for nationwide AI standards.