{"slug": "gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch", "title": "Gov. Newsom orders expanded AI oversight, calls for emergency ‘kill switch’", "summary": "California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing the California Government Operations Agency to accelerate implementation of the state's AI oversight laws and convene national experts to recommend new safeguards for advanced AI systems, including an emergency \"kill switch\" for frontier models. The expert group is expected to deliver recommendations within two months on measures such as independent on-site verification organizations conducting regular audits, independent verification of safety frameworks, transparency reports and risk assessments, and expanding the state's definition of critical safety incidents to include loss of control. The order follows Newsom's signing last week of Senate Bill 813, which certifies independent verification organizations, and Assembly Bill 1405, which creates a state registry for AI auditors, and Newsom called on the federal government to adopt California's framework as a national baseline.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...\n[Artificial intelligence](https://www.ocregister.com/tag/artificial-intelligence) companies operating across California could face expanded independent safety oversight and requirements for an emergency “kill switch” under an executive order issued today by [Gov. Gavin Newsom](https://www.ocregister.com/tag/gavin-newsom).\n\nThe order directs the California Government Operations Agency to accelerate implementation of recently enacted AI oversight laws and, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, convene national experts to recommend additional safeguards for advanced AI systems.\n\nThe group is expected to provide recommendations within two months on ways California could strengthen its AI safety and security laws.\n\nAmong the proposals to be considered is a requirement that companies developing advanced, or “frontier,” AI models create an emergency shutoff mechanism, commonly referred to as a kill switch. The effectiveness of such a system could be subject to ongoing verification by an independent organization.\n\nThe experts will also consider requiring frontier AI companies to have independent verification organizations on site to conduct regular audits and evaluations.\n\nOther potential changes include requiring independent verification of safety frameworks, transparency reports and risk assessments filed by AI companies and expanding the state’s definition of critical safety incidents to include incidents involving a loss of control.\n\n“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,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re going to do this thoughtfully but with urgent velocity; the stakes are too high to wait or delay action.”\n\nThe executive order follows Newsom’s signing last week of Senate Bill 813 and Assembly Bill 1405, which established new requirements involving independent assessments and audits of AI systems.\n\nSB 813 establishes a framework for certifying independent verification organizations to assess AI systems and models for compliance with state law. AB 1405 creates a state registry for AI auditors and establishes standards governing their independence, transparency and integrity.\n\nNewsom’s order directs state officials to accelerate implementation of both laws.\n\nThe governor’s office said the action was prompted in part by recent AI security incidents and concerns raised by researchers and industry leaders about increasingly powerful AI systems.\n\nNewsom also called on the federal government to adopt California’s AI regulatory framework or use the state’s standards as a baseline for national regulation.\n\n“While Washington abdicates its responsibility to protect Americans, California is building on the strongest AI regulatory framework in the nation,” Newsom said. “California has already built a national model, and our policy should be the national baseline.”\n\nCalifornia already requires developers of frontier AI models to publicly disclose safety frameworks and report specified critical safety incidents under legislation Newsom signed in 2025.\n\nThe state has also enacted laws governing AI auditors, companion chatbots used by children, AI-generated content, privacy and the use of artificial intelligence by state government.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch", "canonical_source": "https://www.ocregister.com/2026/09/18/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch/", "published_at": "2026-09-18 21:51:39+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-18 21:53:10.860599+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Gavin Newsom", "California Government Operations Agency", "Governor's Office of Emergency Services", "Senate Bill 813", "Assembly Bill 1405", "California"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/gov-newsom-orders-expanded-ai-oversight-calls-for-emergency-kill-switch.jsonld"}}