California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday that speeds up the state's new independent-oversight framework for artificial intelligence and asks agencies to develop recommendations for tougher frontier-model safeguards, including verified emergency shutoffs.
The distinction matters: Executive Order N-9-26 does not immediately require AI companies to install a “kill switch.” It directs the Government Operations Agency, working with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and national experts, to study the technical feasibility and likely effectiveness of changes to state law. Their recommendations are due November 16.
What California must consider
The order says the recommendations must address four ideas: placing designated independent verification organizations inside large frontier AI labs; requiring outside verification of companies' safety frameworks, transparency reports and risk assessments; requiring a kill switch whose effectiveness is checked on an ongoing basis; and expanding the definition of reportable critical safety incidents to include loss-of-control events.
It also moves up work already required under two laws Newsom signed on September 9. SB 813 created a framework for certifying independent organizations that evaluate AI systems, while AB 1405 created a state registry and standards for AI auditors. The new order requires the Government Operations Agency to publish its application rules and criteria for independent verifiers by May 1, 2027.
A proposal, not a finished mandate
The governor's office framed the order as a response to recent security incidents and warnings from within the AI industry, while also criticizing the Trump administration and Congress for failing to pass national rules. Those claims are the administration's case for urgency, not new obligations imposed on developers by the order itself.
The move also revisits territory Newsom approached more cautiously two years ago. The Los Angeles Times notes that he vetoed SB 1047 in 2024, a bill that would have required covered companies to retain the ability to shut down models they directly controlled. At the time, Newsom argued that its approach could stifle innovation and might miss risks from smaller models.
What emerges from the new order will depend on the expert group's recommendations and any follow-up legislation or regulation. For now, California has set deadlines and a policy agenda, not flipped a statewide switch.
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