News Summary

California state Senator Scott Wiener has introduced a new AI bill, SB 53, designed to protect employees at AI labs who wish to raise concerns about AI systems posing critical risks to society. The bill includes provisions for whistleblower protections and the establishment of a public cloud computing cluster, CalCompute, to support researchers and startups in developing public-beneficial AI. SB 53 is a successor to Wiener’s controversial SB 1047, which was vetoed in 2024 amid debates about AI safety and its impact on America’s competitive edge. The new bill aims to include less controversial elements, such as whistleblower protections and resources for AI development, while addressing existential AI risks.