California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to boost independent oversight of artificial intelligence companies and advance the creation of an AI "kill switch".
In a post on X, Newsom wrote, "I just signed an EXECUTIVE ORDER to dramatically accelerate independent oversight of AI companies and advance the creation of an “AI kill switch.” With Donald Trump and Congress failing to lead, California is stepping up to keep all Americans safe."
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BREAKING: I just signed an EXECUTIVE ORDER to dramatically accelerate independent oversight of AI companies and advance the creation of an “AI kill switch.”
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 18, 2026
With Donald Trump and Congress failing to lead, California is stepping up to keep all Americans safe. pic.twitter.com/7ydkG0fdQM
The development comes days after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in a nearly 4,000-word essay urged for a slowdown in the development of increasingly powerful AI systems, warning that technological progress could outpace the ability to put adequate safety measures in place.
Agreeing with Dario's argument, OpenAI's Sam Altman pledged to match Anthropic's move to give independent evaluators employee-like access to its systems. xAI's Elon Musk, who has publically disputed with both Altman and Dario, responded with three words: "Dario is right."
US President Donald Trump, however dismissed calls for a slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence, stating that strong presidential oversight and existing regulatory and criminal powers are enough to manage the technology's risks.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump denied concerns over AI safety and defended his approach to the sector. According to him, the US already has "tremendous criminal and regulatory power" over AI companies and warned that additional "guardrails" could undermine the country's lead over China.
Trump also alleged a "sick conspiracy" against AI and data centres, saying China would be the main beneficiary if the US slowed its development "Whoever wins AI, wins," he said, while asserting that the US remains ahead of China and other countries.
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