The writer is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz Artificial intelligence has given the US technology sector a shot of adrenaline and the world a jolt of excitement. Every day, we’re interacting with tools that would’ve looked like science fiction only a few years ago. Generative AI can do everything from providing your child with a personalised tutor to designing novel medicines.
In August, this poorly considered, deeply disruptive proposal could move to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom, who could sign it into law. The AI community has tried to sound the alarm. More than 100 AI leaders have signed an open letter opposing the bill. Yann LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist, has warned that the bill’s “cascading liability clauses would make it very risky to open-source AI platforms . . . Meta will be fine, but AI start-ups will just die.