Mark Hamill, J.J. Abrams, sign letter in support of AI safety bill SB 1047

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams stands with his arms crossed

By Wendy LeeStaff Writer

Sept. 24, 2024 Updated 6:01 PM PT

California lawmakers have asked Newsom to sign a bill to implement safeguards against an AI-fueled disaster
‘We must be realistic about the risks,’ write Hollywood talent like Pedro Pascal, Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay

More than 125 Hollywood actors, directors, producers, music artists and entertainment industry leaders have added their names to a letter released Tuesday urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would require developers of advanced artificial intelligence models to have safety measures in place to prevent catastrophes.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and passed by the Legislature, would require developers to share their safety plans with California’s attorney general, who could hold them liable if AI models they directly control were to cause harm or imminent threat to public safety.

The developers would also need to have a way to shut down such AI models if something goes awry.

“Grave threats from AI used to be the stuff of science fiction, but not anymore,” said the letter to Newsom. “Even though the billionaire opponents of SB 1047 dismiss these concerns as fantastical, many of the industry’s leading engineers, academics and policymakers warn otherwise.”

Signatories of the letter include “Lost” co-creator J.J. Abrams, “Bridgerton” executive producer Shonda Rhimes, “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” director Judd Apatow, “When They See Us” creator Ava DuVernay, actors Mark Hamill, Jane Fonda, Mahershala Ali, Ramy Youssef, Alec Baldwin, Pedro Pascal, Connie Britton, Mark Ruffalo, Sean Astin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and songwriter Diane Warren. SAG-AFTRA leaders, including President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, also signed.

The bill has been hotly debated in California and is opposed by tech companies such as Facebook parent Meta and ChatGPT maker OpenAI and tech industry group Chamber of Progress, which released an AI-generated rock song about the bill, with lyrics including “veto the chains that hold us down.”

Democratic congressional leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San José), have also urged Newsom to veto the bill. They argue the legislation could stifle innovation and cite efforts Congress is making related to AI.

Senate Bill 1047 is supported by the Center for AI Safety, some prominent AI researchers and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk. More than 100 current and former employees of AI-related companies including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta signed a letter in support of SB 1047. Supporters of the bill say that, since Congress has typically been slower at regulating tech, California should take the lead.

“In Silicon Valley they love to say ‘Move fast and break things,’” said Gordon-Levitt in a statement. “But with tech this powerful, maybe it should be ‘Move as fast as we can while being careful not to break anything.’”

Newsom told The Times last week he had not made his mind up on SB 1047.

“It’s one of those bills that come across your desk infrequently, where it depends on who the last person on the call was in terms of how persuasive they are,” Newsom said. “It’s divided so many folks.”

The deadline for Newsom to make a decision on the bill is Monday.

“Our office doesn’t typically comment on pending legislation,” the governor’s spokesperson Izzy Gardon wrote in an email to The Times. “This measure will be evaluated on its merits.”

The Legislature has considered a slew of AI-related bills as local leaders have tried to regulate and address the public’s concern about the rapidly advancing technology. Many in Hollywood have expressed worries about the impact AI will have on jobs.

Last year, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America went on strike amid concerns about how studios would use AI. Last week, Newsom signed AI-related bills into law that would give actors more protection over their digital likenesses and fight against the spread of deepfakes in political ads.

In their letter, the Hollywood talent said they were grateful to Newsom for signing the bills that would help protect the rights of artists from unethical uses of AI and then urged him to sign SB 1047, which, they argued, is “about protecting everyone.”

“It’s only sensible to put a modicum of oversight on a new technology and approach it with some basic guardrails instead of waiting for harm to be done and then do something,” said Ruffalo in a statement.

Many of the letter’s signatories are California residents and are vocal Democrats, including Ruffalo, who supported Newsom during a recall attempt against him in 2021.

“We voted for you,” the letter said. “We want to continue to believe that you are a leader who will stand up for everyone’s wellbeing, not just for a few Silicon Valley giants.”

Mark Hamill, Jane Fonda, J.J. Abrams urge Gov. Newsom to sign AI safety bill

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