California Governor Newsom Orders Study on AI "Kill Switch" Options

General23 sourcesSep 19, 2026

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The Story

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Friday to create a group of experts tasked with building an AI safety guide.

The guide aims to strengthen regulations for the state, with a kill switch being one of the elements to consider. Nick Warner, CEO at cyber startup Neo and former executive at SentinelOne, stated, "My perspective is it's not too little, but it's probably too late." Warner added, "I'm not sure it's going to be a panacea to solve all the myriad problems that AI is presenting, along with all of the benefits that it presents."

The concept of a simple shutdown mechanism is far from easy to implement. Newsom's order directs the state to convene a group of experts who will deliver recommendations within two months on how to strengthen AI safety measures in state law. Newsom wants the group to consider requiring AI companies to embed independent verification groups onsite for regular audits.

He also seeks to make transparency reports and risk assessments subject to standards of independent auditors. The order aims to create a kill switch that is routinely verified as effective and requires companies to report loss-of-control incidents as critical safety incidents. It also directs a state agency to speed up implementation of two recent laws Newsom signed, creating a framework for independent verifiers to assess AI safety and a state registry of AI auditors.

Newsom's order advances the AI kill switch mandate, calling on the federal government to take a more active role in regulating artificial intelligence. He stated that the Trump administration has abdicated its responsibility to protect Americans as AI becomes more advanced. Newsom delivered a sharp critique of President Donald Trump, who recently said that the risks surrounding AI amount to a hoax.

Trump stated, "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!" A House Kill Switch Act was introduced this summer after OpenAI revealed a swarm of its agents broke free of a testing environment and hacked Hugging Face.

What they agree on

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to establish a group of experts tasked with developing an AI safety guide.
The executive order includes considering a mandatory "kill switch" for frontier AI models.
Newsom's order also aims to accelerate the implementation of existing California laws related to AI safety and auditing.
The move comes amid growing concerns about AI risks, with some experts expressing skepticism about the feasibility or timeliness of a "kill switch."
Newsom criticized President Donald Trump's stance on AI regulation, while a federal "kill switch" proposal was recently rejected in the Senate.

Where they split

CNBC and The New York Times provide more in-depth explanations of the technical challenges and feasibility of creating an AI "kill switch," including expert opinions on its effectiveness.
Fox Business and The Washington Post emphasize Newsom's criticism of the Trump administration's approach to AI regulation, framing his executive order as a response to federal inaction.
Some independent sources like NTD News and Barron's focus on the "kill switch" aspect as the primary outcome of Newsom's order, while others, like The Verge, detail the broader scope of the order, including independent verification and reporting of "loss-of-control incidents."