State Sen. Jerry McNerney and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan are coordinating two AI bills intended to create safety standards and independent verification for AI systems and models in California. SB 813 would establish the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission, made up of industry experts, academics, and public officials, to develop voluntary standards across industries and applications.
AB 1405 would create a registry for independent, third-party AI auditors tasked with assessing whether AI systems meet safety expectations. The proposal would require registered auditors to follow standards for ethical practice and financial independence, with the goal of giving Californians more confidence that AI audits are conducted with integrity.
The lawmakers pointed to risks including psychological harm to children, inherent bias, cyber fraud, election tampering, misinformation, deepfakes, fake news, job displacement, and hallucinations. A recent large-scale study found that AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time. SB 813 would allow the commission to form expert working groups and publish standards online, while AB 1405 remains slated for amendments in the weeks ahead. Both bills need to be enacted to take effect.
