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Nonprofit lobbying group Americans for Responsible Innovation will launch a state-level advocacy initiative to promote responsible artificial intelligence policy.
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The group’s Thursday statement announcing the campaign said it will target policy in all 50 states through industry-backed proposals. ARI Communications Manager Giovanni Rocco said California is an especially important target for the initiative, though, because it is home to much of the nation’s AI industry.
“California has been an important state…not just because it’s home to a lot of leading AI companies but because we’ve already seen a lot of lobbying from industry in California,” Rocco said. “California really has been a testing ground for industry players who want to influence laws at the state level.”
Americans for Responsible Innovation was founded in 2023 by technology entrepreneur Eric Gastfriend and former U.S. Representative Brad Carson, D-Oklahoma. Carson, who served in Congress 2001-05, was president of the University of Tulsa, 2021-2025. The organization is mainly funded by individual contributions but receives financial backing from Inclusive Abundance Action, Omidyar Network and Coefficient Giving.
According to Rocco, ARI aims to offer a “public interest perspective” as AI companies continue to push for friendly legislation in state governments. However, the group’s announcement comes as California enacts new AI laws — on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills aimed at reducing children’s access to AI.
Senate Bill 867 would prevent companies from selling toys for children under 16 years old that include chatbots, while Senate Bill 1119 would require operators of AI chatbots to audit the products for potential harm to children. The new laws are the nation’s strongest state-level protections against AI use among children.
“Our children’s safety deserves to be at the center of every conversation about technology,” Newsom said in a statement. “As innovation moves faster our protections must keep pace. Today’s legislation makes clear that California will not stand by while unregulated technology puts our children at risk.”
ARI aims to advocate for similar legislation in other states, according to Rocco. Another of the initiative’s primary aims, he said, is to tighten restrictions on data center construction and operation.
“Data centers are impacting just about every state in the nation, with communities speaking up about wanting more control over their natural resources, their infrastructure, their tax dollars,” Rocco said. “Every state looks a little different, but these issues cut across the country.”
In August, California lawmakers passed several bills related to data centers. The legislation, which awaits Newsom’s approval, would require data centers to report information about their water consumption and ensure that the costs of operating data centers are not passed on to taxpayers.
“I’m inviting the government, the governor, to be a part of leadership here, and that’s what I’m focused on,” Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, who authored a two-bill package to regulate water use in data centers, said in a July interview with The Sacramento Bee.
Last year, Newsom signed SB 53 — a bill that Rocco said ARI had been “closely following.” The legislation requires AI companies to enact and publish safety protocols and report critical safety incidents to the Office of Emergency Services. According to Rocco, ARI hopes to advocate for similar legislation in the future.
“You’ve seen how different AI risks have shown up, from data centers, to chatbots, to disruptions to workers and cybersecurity,” Rocco said. “All these issues have been very present in California, and so as an organization we’re excited to expand our team into California specifically to advocate for greater guardrails.”
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