Slashdot relays The Guardian’s report that California governor Gavin Newsom signed laws aimed at protecting workers from AI threats, banning employers from using biometric data to predict a worker’s emotional state and from relying on AI to decide to fire someone, and requiring written notice when AI drives mass layoffs, on top of a chatbot risk-assessment law and an executive order directing the state to consult experts on oversight. It notes Newsom’s executive order also explores requiring AI companies to build a kill switch for their most advanced models, an idea that drew support from Rep. Ted Lieu and measured comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The Free Software Foundation’s campaigns manager Greg Farough responded that control over the technology people use is fundamental to software freedom and warned that giving one or a small number of kill switches to anyone, even with independent verification, sets too dangerous a precedent; he urged California’s Government Operations Agency to write its recommendation in a way that puts individual users’ freedom and dignity first.
California's Governor Wants Worker Protections from AI. But FSF Thinks Kill Switches are 'Dangerous Precedent'
Slashdot relays The Guardian's report that California governor Gavin Newsom signed laws aimed at protecting workers from AI threats, banning employers from using biometric data to predict a worker's emotional state and from relying on AI to decide to fire someone, and requiring written notice when AI drives mass layoffs, on top of a chatbot risk-assessment law and an executive order directing the state to consult experts on oversight. It notes Newsom's executive order also explores requiring AI companies to build a kill switch for their most advanced models, an idea that drew support from Rep. Ted Lieu and measured comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The Free Software Foundation's campaigns manager Greg Farough responded that control over the technology people use is fundamental to software freedom and warned that giving one or a small number of kill switches to anyone, even with independent verification, sets too dangerous a precedent; he urged California's Government Operations Agency to write its recommendation in a way that puts individual users' freedom and dignity first.
Source: Slashdot