Venture Capitalists Lead Lobbying Against State AI Safety Bills

New York legislation to restrict advanced artificial intelligence is testing the growing lobbying power of venture capitalists in statehouses nationwide.

The bipartisan measure (S.B. 6953B) awaiting action by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) would make her state the first to require AI developers create safety plans to prevent their systems from enabling threats, such as cyberattacks and bioweapons. California-based VC firms Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator are backing a lobbying blitz to convince her to veto the bipartisan bill.

Hochul has blocked past legislative efforts to restrict the technology, but she hasn’t publicly said whether she will sign or ...