DRIVING THE DAY — Iran’s attacks on Israel over the weekend are fueling calls for both restraint and further action amid concerns about a wider Middle East conflict. Read on for more about how California leaders are responding given the deep divisions across the state. THE BUZZ: AI AMBITION — California lawmakers want to enact some of the most ambitious, first-in-the-nation regulations on artificial intelligence, but first, they’ll have to get through Tom Umberg. The Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, is a pivotal hurdle for the dozens of artificial intelligence bills winding their way through the legislature this year. Umberg, who previously served in the Assembly, is a retired Army colonel and widely regarded as one of the Capitol’s most discerning pragmatists. His committee has vetted — and in some cases, halted — some of California’s most ambitious regulations on the technology sector, and this year, is poised to play chief gatekeeper for the more than 40 bills seeking to regulate artificial intelligence, including new requirements for social media giants and risk assessments for the largest AI models. The committee recently approved state Sen. Scott Wiener’s sweeping AI framework, and will consider another set of AI proposals in a hearing this week. We caught up with Umberg to get his take on one of the hottest topics of the year — and what he sees as California’s path forward. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. On California’s role in regulating AI — In the best of all worlds, there would be, I think, a uniform scheme of regulation of AI throughout the country. I am concerned that, given what’s happening in the Congress, that that may not be achievable anytime soon. I think it’s important for California to step into that void — to create some regulatory scheme for AI. It is probably the most important technological development since the internet. There’s lots of good that could come from AI and there’s some risks that are also attendant to artificial intelligence. So, I think it’s our responsibility, as policymakers, to step up to the plate. On how California can lead with a budget deficit — There are so many economic concerns around AI, that we actually do want to be in the forefront. We do want to be the place. You know, sort of the ‘Silicon Valley of artificial intelligence,’ and we want to make sure that we don’t lag behind because of inadequate resources. There’s a general economic concern that if we don’t have a regulatory scheme that both encourages entrepreneurship, encourages development and also discourages risks that are not in society’s interest, that other regions and other countries will take the lead. On whether he shares other lawmakers’ urgency in passing laws — [UCLA football coach] John Wooden used to say ‘be quick, but don’t hurry.’ We don't want to be in such haste that we don't attend to the important aspects of AI, but we have to move with some purpose to create the regulatory structure. On whether California is considering too many AI bills this year — Everybody thinks that their ideas are necessary. Here's my take: I want to make sure that we are consistent. I want to make sure that we have consistent definitions. I want to make sure that we do the best job we possibly can, so that those who are in the marketplace understand the rules. I want to make sure that we create realistic timelines, so that's my goal. My goal is to create that kind of structure. On whether he himself has used any AI tools like ChatGPT — I tried to use Chat GPT to do an op-ed on my discovery bill — SB 241. How did it go? Horribly. When it came out, it was just all these platitudes. It was not useful at all. Read more from the interview here, for POLITICO Pro subscribers. GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | 
