Gov. Newsom executive order calls for AI kill switch

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday issued an executive order to address what he described as the potential dangers of artificial intelligence by, among other things, ordering tech companies to create an AI kill switch.

In a statement released Friday, Newsom said the Trump administration has failed to create adequate AI oversight, so California would create the strongest AI regulatory framework in the nation. AI CEOs, Newsom said, are asking for tighter regulations around the technology. He said the Trump administration failed to act in the wake of the Hugging Face attack, when AI agents gained access to the internet during testing. In a social media post earlier this month, a researcher at AI tech giant Anthropic announced his resignation and warned of what he characterized as AI’s potential harm to humanity, which sparked lawmakers to consider AI guardrails.

What does the executive order say? The order directs a group of experts to meet and develop a plan within two months to strengthen California’s AI safety and security rules. According to Newsom’s office, the plan should require independent experts to create and audit safety plans for advanced AI companies and for companies to have an emergency kill switch to shut down their AI systems.

Trump said in a social media post that the government already has regulatory and criminal power over these companies. He went on to say that the pushback against American AI companies only benefits China, because whoever wins AI, wins.

Who is calling for stricter AI regulations? While Trump characterized concerns over possible AI threats as conspiracies, Democrats largely rallied around calls for stricter regulations. And those with presidential ambitions have been among some of the loudest voices in recent weeks.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for third-party oversight of frontier models and stricter guardrails. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., introduced legislation to create a fund paid for by AI companies that would support workers displaced by the technology. And Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., urged Trump to convene a special session of Congress to address AI risks.