California state lawmaker Scott Wiener has introduced a bill requiring companies to test the most powerful artificial intelligence models before releasing them. The bill, sponsored by Wiener, would require companies training new AI models to test their tools for "unsafe" behavior, institute hacking protections, and develop the technology in a way that it can be shut down completely. AI companies would have to disclose testing protocols and what guardrails they put in place to the California Department of Technology. If the technology causes "critical harm," the state's attorney general can sue the company. The bill comes amid an explosion of state bills addressing artificial intelligence, as policymakers across the country grow wary that years of inaction in Congress have created a regulatory vacuum that benefits the tech industry. California plays a singular role in setting precedent for tech industry guardrails, and the bill could be passed by the fall.