Almost a year after ChatGPT made its debut, regulators are weighing in on how best to keep the generative AI in check. The latest attempt is from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who this week signed an executive order that directs the agencies to study the use of AI in the state.

“This is a potentially transformative technology – comparable to the advent of the internet – and we’re only scratching the surface of understanding what GenAI is capable of," Gov. Newsom says. "We recognize both the potential benefits and risks these tools enable."

Newsom is calling on various agencies to study the development, use, and risks of AI throughout the state and to develop a process for evaluation and deployment of AI within state government.

First up, several orgs—including the Government Operations Agency and the California Department of Technology—have 60 days to draft a report to the governor examining the most significant and potentially beneficial use cases for deployment of generative AI tools in the state.

"The report shall also explain the potential risks to individuals, communities, and government and state government workers, with a focus on high-risk use cases," the EO says.

That includes the "risks stemming from bad actors and insufficiently guarded governmental systems, unintended or emergent effects, and potential risks toward democratic and legal processes, public health and safety, and the economy."

By March 2024, state cybersecurity officials will also have to analyze threats and vulnerabilities that generative AI could present for California's critical energy infrastructure, "including those which could lead to mass casualty events and environmental emergencies," and come up with a way to stop that from happening.

Among the half-dozen other provisions in the EO is the call to establish a formal partenrship with the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University to further study how generative AI will impact California. Symposiums are planned for the middle of 2024.