California Governor Newsom Signs Order for AI Oversight and Kill Switch

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Friday to accelerate state oversight of artificial intelligence and explore the creation of an emergency "kill switch" for advanced AI models, citing a lack of federal regulation. The order directs state agencies to convene a panel of national experts within 60 days to develop recommendations for strengthening California's AI safety laws. The executive order instructs the Government Operations Agency to speed up the implementation of two recently enacted laws, SB 813 and AB 1405, which established a framework for independent organizations to verify AI systems and created a state registry for AI auditors. The order also moves up the timeline for the AI auditor registry and oversight program from January 2029 to December 2027. A central proposal under consideration is requiring frontier AI companies to develop an emergency shutdown mechanism, or "kill switch," for their most advanced models. The expert panel will also examine whether developers should be required to embed independent verification organizations in their labs for regular audits and to have their safety plans and risk assessments independently verified.