It would not be the typical week without California Governor Gavin Newsom contradicting himself as he is peacocking for the public. The latest example is legislation concerning artificial intelligence and its impact on the youngest citizens in his state. Newsom blocked a potential law intended to protect young users of AI, and It becomes just the latest example of Governor Brylcreem having skewed priorities.
You might recall that not too long ago, Newsom was strongly in support of new legislation targeting the use of AI. This blatant attack on the First Amendment was written to end the use of the burgeoning technology for the purpose of mocking or insulting public figures. The bill was specifically targeting the use of what it described as “deceptive” political content or imagery.
The wording on that bill was such that individuals could be held legally responsible even if they shared the content as a means of pointing out that it was fraudulent. Newsom was very proud of his move to sign this into law.
I just signed a bill to make this illegal in the state of California.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 17, 2024
You can no longer knowingly distribute an ad or other election communications that contain materially deceptive content -- including deepfakes. https://t.co/VU4b8RBf6N
The first thing to take place was a creator version of The Streisand Effect, as people flocked to social media to post AI in a wave of mockery. Unsurprisingly, this law instigated court action to stem this violation of free expression. The Babylon Bee was part of a suit brought against the state, and in short order, a court injunction was handed down in just a matter of weeks.
Then Newsom took hypocrisy to new levels. As his social media account was becoming hyper-leveraged – and celebrated in the press for its edginess – we saw that suddenly he had no issue with using the tech to slam his political foes. But when it comes to double standards on the topic, he displayed it in bold fashion.
The California legislature passed a series of AI-centered bills and sent them to the governor’s desk. However, when signing a number of those measures into law, he vetoed the bill that concerned protecting minors from the use of AI chat-bots, which could deliver dangers for those less-than-savvy youths.
The bill would have banned companies from making AI chatbots available to anyone under 18 years old unless the businesses could ensure the technology couldn’t engage in sexual conversations or encourage self-harm.
In explaining his motivation for this veto, Newsom was suddenly showing concern for long-term effects. Despite previously seeking specific bans on the tech, this week, according to a statement by Newsom, he worries the bill “imposes such broad restrictions on the use of conversational AI tools that it may unintentionally lead to a total ban on the use of these products by minors.”
So we are looking at a governor delivering the rationale that AI that insults political figures was uncalled for and in need of censorship, but a technology that could deliver severe adverse effects on kids should not be limited. It was clear that the governor was looking over his shoulder at the influence coming from Silicon Valley. The San Francisco Gate directly alluded to Newsom buckling under “a massive lobbying push from tech companies.”
This move was opposed by a large Hollywood contingent. In an open letter to the Governor, encouraging him to make this bill a law, over 125 Hollywood figures signed their name, pushing for passage. Following the veto, one actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, did not hold back on directing his scorn at Newsom. He slammed the governor over his cowardice on display.
Governor @GavinNewsom failed to stand up to Silicon Valley and put our kids in harm’s way. pic.twitter.com/fnddMVUMea
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) October 15, 2025
"He vetoed a good bill that really would have held Big Tech’s feet to the fire and made them change their products to be better for our kids. Mr. Newsom was too scared to sign it. What was he scared of, you ask? Big Tech: Google, Meta, OpenAI launched these huge Super PACs worth hundreds of millions of dollars aimed at attacking candidates who might regulate AI. I guess Mr. Newsom was scared that if those hundreds of millions of dollars were directed at attacking him it might hurt his chances at winning President in a few years when he runs.”
Sounds quite valid. How else would you describe the actions of a governor who previously worried about using AI to pick on him or his political acolytes, but blocks legislation that would actually protect kids from far worse? These are the actions of a pure political animal.