California Approves AI Laws: Safeguarding Workers, Regulating Deepfakes, and AI Model Safety

This week, several bills intended to control the artificial intelligence sector, stop deepfakes, and shield workers from being taken advantage of by the quickly developing technology were approved by California lawmakers.

During the last week of the session, the Democratic-controlled California Legislature is voting on hundreds of measures to be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Saturday is when they must submit.

The plans are due to be signed by the Democratic governor by September 30. If he chooses not to sign them, they will take effect immediately. While he hasn’t weighed in on other measures, Newsom hinted in July that he might sign a plan to crack down on election deepfakes.

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Earlier this summer, he issued a warning that excessive regulation would harm the domestic sector. He has frequently rejected legislation that he would ordinarily support in recent years, citing the state’s budgetary difficulties.

Here are a few of the AI-related measures that Congress has adopted this year.

Taking on deepfakes

California lawmakers approved three laws this week to push down on the practice, citing concerns about how AI technologies are increasingly being used to sway votes and create deepfake pornography of kids.

Legislators passed a bill outlawing deepfakes in connection with elections and mandating that big social media companies take down misleading content sixty days after Election Day and 120 days before Election Day. It would also be mandatory for campaigns to make public any information they use in their ads that has been modified by AI.

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Two proposals aim to outlaw the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems to produce photos and movies depicting child sexual abuse. District attorneys are not permitted by law to pursue anyone who owns or disseminates photos of child sexual assault created by AI if they are unable to demonstrate that the materials accurately portray a real person.

Another suggestion would mandate that tech businesses and social media platforms give users access to AI detection tools.

Establishing safety precautions

California may establish comprehensive safety regulations on massive AI models, making it the first state in the US to do so.

Developers must begin sharing the data they use to train their algorithms, according to legislation lawmakers passed to the governor. The endeavors seek to avert other disastrous events and provide additional insight into the functioning of AI models.

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Another proposal would bar agencies from entering into any contracts incorporating AI models used to define judgments unless the state established safety measures that prevent hazards and algorithmic prejudice.

Safeguarding Employees

Legislators adopted a plan to shield laborers, including voice actors and audiobook performers, from being replaced by their AI-generated clones, in response to the lengthy strike by Hollywood actors that took place earlier this year. The measure mimics language from the SAG-AFTRA’s December 2018 contract with the studios.

One of the suggestions would prohibit state and local governments from substituting labor in call centers with artificial intelligence.

California may also impose fines for the digital cloning of deceased individuals without the estates’ permission.

Legislators in various states have also passed legislation to promote AI literacy as businesses integrate AI into people’s daily life more and more.

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According to one plan, a working group at the state level would have to think about introducing AI concepts into the math, physics, history, and social science curricula. Another would create guidelines for the use of AI in the classroom by educational institutions.