California Governor Gavin Newsom is positioning the state to take the lead on AI oversight, issuing a new executive order that directs California to convene a group of experts tasked with delivering recommendations within two months on strengthening AI safety measures in state law.
The order outlines several ambitious requirements: mandating AI companies to embed independent verification groups onsite for regular audits, subjecting transparency reports and risk assessments to independent auditor standards, creating a "kill switch" that is routinely verified as effective, and requiring companies to report "loss-of-control incidents" — such as the recent OpenAI attack on Hugging Face — as critical safety incidents.
The move comes as federal AI legislation remains stalled in Congress. With the House on recess until November and midterm elections approaching, meaningful federal action appears unlikely. President Trump has dismissed the need for AI guardrails, insisting that a "STRONG AND SMART" president is sufficient oversight.
Newsom is explicitly positioning California's framework as a model for federal action, calling on Congress and the White House to "review and adopt the state's framework, or use its nation-leading regulation as a floor, not a ceiling." He also floated the possibility of calling a special legislative session on AI.
"The federal government's abject failure to create any form of meaningful AI oversight or accountability should alarm every American," Newsom said. "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."
