EFF Calls for Focus on Current AI Harms in Response to California Executive Order

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) welcomes Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order on AI as a positive step for public dialogue.
• EFF emphasizes that immediate threats—such as algorithmic bias and surveillance—are more urgent than speculative sci-fi risks.
• The organization calls for precise, practical regulation that protects individual rights rather than over-relying on problematic "kill switch" mechanisms.

Recommendations for Implementation

• Support for expanded reporting requirements under SB 53, with provisions to make third-party investigations accessible to smaller developers.
• Advocacy for practical, specific cybersecurity standards that avoid broad government overreach.
• Warnings regarding the potential for government-controlled kill switches to be used as tools for political retaliation against free speech.

Core Priorities for Safety

• Addressing bias in algorithmic decision-making used in employment and government benefit systems.
• Regulating AI-powered surveillance tools like Flock cameras.
• Curbing practices such as artificially inflated personalized pricing.
• Prioritizing collaboration with communities most at risk of AI-driven harm during the policy development process.