Newsom Signs Executive Order Directing California to Develop AI Kill Switch and Safety Framework

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed an executive order aimed at addressing potential dangers from artificial intelligence, directing a group of experts to convene and produce, within two months, a guide for strengthening the state's AI safety and security laws. The order calls for enhanced measures that could include requiring independent third parties to write safety plans for frontier AI companies and mandating that those companies develop a kill switch capable of shutting down their models in an emergency.

Newsom is among a group of 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls who have pushed for a more aggressive regulatory approach to AI. The executive order follows a period of heightened public alarm, including a high-profile resignation by a researcher at Anthropic who warned of the technology's potentially catastrophic capabilities. The action signals California's intent to move decisively on AI oversight even as the Trump administration pursues a national standard that would limit state-level AI regulation.