State Sen. Jerry McNerney introduced legislation Tuesday that would require human oversight when artificial intelligence is used in California’s power grid. The effort is a second try after McNerney’s bill on AI in critical infrastructure was held up in the Assembly last year.
What it says: The new bill, SB 1011, would mandate human oversight when a utility deploys AI programs as part of its electrical or natural gas infrastructure. It would require humans to be in the loop on high-risk AI decision making, and mandate AI programs be tested before use.
“SB 1011 is a commonsense solution that will reduce risk by ensuring that AI use supports human decision-making rather than replacing it,” McNerney said in a statement.
The bill also includes protections to keep workers in control of the state’s power-related infrastructure, and requires a notice period for workers before AI technology is given a role. It also mandates retraining before any layoffs can occur.
