Kotek orders AI safeguards for Oregon, citing Trump inaction
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued an executive order requiring state agencies to implement safeguards and oversight for advanced AI models, citing a lack of federal action. This order follows her previous actions regarding data centers, including stopping a state land sale for a Salem data center due to public opposition and supporting a statewide data center moratorium. Salem has since enacted a local data center moratorium and banned non-disclosure agreements for such projects.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has issued an executive order mandating the creation of guidelines and oversight for state agencies' use of advanced artificial intelligence models. The order requires the state to procure only 'frontier' AI models that have undergone third-party review, with Oregon Chief Information Officer Terrence Woods tasked to submit an implementation proposal by December 22. This plan will define 'frontier' models, establish independent review standards, and explore features like 'kill switches' for safety assessment.
Governor Kotek emphasized the urgency of state-level action due to perceived federal inaction, specifically citing President Donald Trump's dismissal of AI guardrails. She acknowledged industry efforts but stressed that the private sector's self-regulation is insufficient for a technology posing 'existential and evolving risk.'
The executive order comes amidst broader discussions on technology regulation, including recent discourse over data centers. Kotek's stance is consistent with her previous intervention in July, when she halted the sale of state land for a proposed data center in Salem following significant public opposition and concerns over non-disclosure agreements. She subsequently issued a directive to prevent unapproved uses of state land for data centers and supported proposed legislation for a temporary statewide data center moratorium. Following these events, the city of Salem has implemented its own local data center moratorium and banned NDAs for data center projects.