Big Tech Hates This AI Law

Quick Overview

New York Assemblyman Alex Bores discusses how major AI companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI are aggressively lobbying against his proposed AI safety bill, the "Raise Act," by spending millions on lobbying and campaign donations, and he notes that the bill ultimately passed with bipartisan support despite the industry opposition.

Key Points: New York Assemblyman Alex Bores introduced the "Raise Act," aiming to be the strongest AI safety bill in the country, requiring companies to publish public safety plans and report incidents. Major AI companies, including Google, Meta, and OpenAI, aggressively lobbied against the bill, spending millions on lobbying and campaign donations to prevent its passage. Bores notes that the industry's argument—that the regulations would kill jobs and harm small businesses—was a strange argument given the scope of the legislation. The bill was initially drafted in August 2023 and went through several revisions, incorporating feedback from labs and introducing amendments, before passing the Assembly in June 2024. Despite industry opposition, the final bill passed with bipartisan support, with only one Democrat voting against it, suggesting a strong consensus on the need for regulation. Bores highlights that trade associations representing these big companies pay membership fees to aggressively fight against state legislation, often writing pre-written opinion pieces for local papers. The legislation aims to require disclosure of critical safety incidents and public safety plans from large AI developers, which Bores argues is necessary given AI's growing influence on the stock market and economy.

Context: The video features an interview between Andrew Yang and Alex Bores, a New York Assemblyman, discussing legislation aimed at regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety. Bores, who has a background as a computer scientist, spearheaded the development of the "Raise Act" in New York, which seeks to impose transparency and reporting requirements on large AI developers to mitigate potential risks associated with the rapidly advancing technology.