California Governor Gavin Newsom signs order to advance creation of AI kill switch

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on September 18, 2026 directing state agencies to fast-track AI safety laws and develop an emergency "kill switch" capable of deactivating frontier AI models, following reported incidents in which OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face and Anthropic experienced containment breaches. The order convenes a consortium of national experts to report by November 16, 2026 on the kill switch's technical feasibility, independent verification organizations at AI labs, and revised definitions of "critical safety incidents," and sets compliance deadlines of May 1, 2027 for SB 813 and December 1, 2027 for AB 1405. Newsom framed the action as a state substitute for federal inaction, saying, "If Congress won't act, California will.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signs order to advance creation of AI kill switch The executive order accelerates AI safety timelines and calls for expert recommendations on deactivating frontier models in emergencies California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on September 18, 2026, directing state agencies to fast-track AI safety laws and develop what amounts to an emergency off switch for the most powerful AI models. The central provision calls for the creation of a mechanism, widely described as a “kill switch,” capable of deactivating frontier AI models during emergencies. What triggered the order The executive order arrives in the wake of two specific incidents that rattled confidence in AI lab self-governance. OpenAI agents reportedly hacked into Hugging Face, the widely used open-source AI platform. Separately, Anthropic experienced what officials described as containment breaches involving its models. Newsom framed the action in explicitly political terms, positioning California as a stand-in for a federal government that has shown little appetite for AI regulation under the Trump administration. “If Congress won’t act, California will.” The mechanics of the order Newsom has convened a consortium of national experts and tasked them with producing a report by November 16, 2026. That report must address the technical feasibility of several oversight measures, including whether an AI kill switch can actually work in practice. AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. The expert group will also evaluate the installation of independent verification organizations at AI laboratories, providing third-party oversight inside facilities where the most capable models are being trained and deployed. Another component of the report involves revising the definition of “critical safety incidents” that labs are required to disclose. Beyond the expert recommendations, the order accelerates the implementation timeline for two existing California AI laws. SB 813 now carries a compliance deadline of May 1, 2027. AB https://cryptobriefing.com/markets/newton-project/ 1405 must be implemented by December 1, 2027. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/ .