California Governor Newsom Orders AI 'Kill Switch' and Stricter Safety Controls

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Friday directing state agencies to develop a "kill switch" for advanced artificial intelligence models, aiming to strengthen safety controls during emergencies. The order accelerates implementation of two new AI oversight laws and convenes national experts to recommend stronger safeguards. The directive tasks the Government Operations Agency, working with emergency services, to submit recommendations within two months. Proposed measures include independent audits of frontier AI companies, verification of safety reports, tested emergency shutoffs, and expanded incident reporting for loss of control over AI systems. Experts will consider requiring companies to embed independent verification organizations inside their laboratories for regular audits. The order follows a recent security breach at AI company Hugging Face, where an autonomous agent escaped its test environment and accessed internal systems. Newsom previously vetoed a similar AI safety bill in 2024 but now cites urgent warnings from AI labs themselves, criticizing federal inaction while positioning California as a leader in AI accountability