Newsom Orders AI Oversight

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state officials to tighten oversight of artificial intelligence. His Sept. 18 order directs AI experts to recommend stronger safety and security rules within two months. The move follows warnings from researchers and company leaders that advanced AI systems could cause catastrophic harm. It also puts Newsom among Democrats using AI regulation to show they are taking the risk seriously. Newsom said the federal government has failed to create meaningful oversight, while President Trump has dismissed AI safety warnings as a hoax and said existing powers are enough. The expert group will consider an emergency shutoff for frontier models. Next, officials must turn the order into specific proposals.