California's hi-tech whistleblower law falling short episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 9, 2026 · 8 MIN

California's hi-tech whistleblower law falling short

from Crosscurrents · host KALW

With Artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of our lives, comes the need to regulate it. California was the first state to draft laws regulating the internet and now it’s attempting to do the same with AI.SB 53 is the State’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act. It’s a first-of-its-kind AI safety law and it was passed last year. A number of AI companies lobbied against the legislation. And internet freedom advocates argue the law is now so watered down, that it no longer effectively protects whistleblowers in the AI companies.Jason Winshell reports on Silicon Valley for the San Francisco Public Press. He spoke to KALW News Editor Sunni Khalid to help us unpack the new law. 

With Artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of our lives, comes the need to regulate it. California was the first state to draft laws regulating the internet and now it’s attempting to do the same with AI. SB 53 is the State’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act. It’s a first-of-its-kind AI safety law and it was passed last year. A number of AI companies lobbied against the legislation. And internet freedom advocates argue the law is now so watered down, that it no longer effectively protects whistleblowers in the AI companies. Jason Winshell reports on Silicon Valley for the San Francisco Public Press. He spoke to KALW News Editor Sunni Khalid to help us unpack the new law.

NOW PLAYING

California's hi-tech whistleblower law falling short

0:00 8:47

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Crosscurrents?

This episode is 8 minutes long.

When was this Crosscurrents episode published?

This episode was published on March 9, 2026.

What is this episode about?

With Artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of our lives, comes the need to regulate it. California was the first state to draft laws regulating the internet and now it’s attempting to do the same with AI.SB 53 is the State’s...

Can I download this Crosscurrents episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!