SIIA Applauds Governor Newsom’s Actions on Legislation Relating to AI and Children

The following statement can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) commends California Governor Gavin Newsom for his continued efforts to address the fast evolving business of artificial intelligence. The veto of SB 1047 was the right decision, and we appreciate the Governor's consideration of the concerns we laid out in our veto letter. We remain optimistic that policymakers in California and the federal government are moving towards solutions to advance responsible AI development without undermining U.S. innovation.

We also applaud his decision to veto AB 1949 - a bill that would have dramatically changed what the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) would require of businesses when collecting information from minors. AB 1949 is the wrong approach and would have established a notice and consent regime running afoul of data minimization principles supported by Californians. We agree with Governor Newsom that the bill language "has unclear effects on children's privacy.^[1]" We urge the legislature to continue to work together with all stakeholders to effectively protect children and teens' privacy and safety online.

SIIA also commends the Governor for signing into law two bills designed to protect the integrity of our elections. AB 2355 requires any political advertising that has been altered using AI be disclosed and AB 2839 expands the time from that prohibits distribution of election material containing deceptive AI-generated or manipulated content to 120 days.

We also express appreciation for the signing of AB 2867 that mandates AI literacy be included in the math, science and history-social science curriculum frameworks and instructional material, as well as SB 1288, which directs study and development of a model policy for the safe and effective use of AI in ways that benefit students and educators.

Lastly, SIIA commends Governor Newsom for signing three bills - AB 1831, SB 926, and SB 1381 - that address concerns around the use of AI and other digital tools to alter or generate images. In the context of child pornography and non-consensual intimate imagery, it is critical that wrongdoers be held accountable regardless of the tools they use

^[1]https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AB-1949-Veto-Message.pdf