As the deadline for SB 1047 draws near, we find ourselves at a crossroads. This special episode of the “AI Podcast Therapy” series pulls back the curtain on the human cost of unregulated AI — as seen through the lens of personal hardship, financial strain, and an unyielding fight for ethical AI.

In this episode, Kevin Bihan-Poudec, a former data analyst, unable to reenter the tech sector for the past year due to tech companies streamlining their operations with AI, shares an intimate look into a recent therapy session where his personal challenges collide with his advocacy work. From financial struggles to the emotional weight of this fight, this special episode dives deep into the intersection of personal resilience and societal urgency.

Listen Now:

Watch/Listen Now (Visual Commentary):

Transcript Excerpt:

"I don’t sleep at night anymore. I feel like my whole life has spiraled because of this fight for ethical AI, but it’s not something I can walk away from. If this bill doesn’t pass, we’re opening the door to unimaginable consequences."
— Kevin Bihan-Poudec

Action Needed:

We are at a critical moment. SB 1047 is more than a piece of legislation — it’s a safeguard for our future against the unchecked growth of AI. We need your voice. Help us demand ethical AI before it’s too late.

How You Can Help:

  • Sign the Petition: Link to petition.

  • Share on Social Media: Use the hashtags #DemandEthicalAI and #SignSB1047 and share this episode to raise awareness.

  • Write to Your Representatives: Click here to send a letter to California’s Governor Newsom Gavin urging him to support AI regulation. Provide the message below.

For organizations

If you represent an organization, you can help by filling out the form at this link to add your signature to this letter of support to help us show policymakers that a broad range of industries supports ensuring safe and secure AI innovation through SB 1047. Note: you need to be authorized to sign on behalf of your organization to sign the letter of support.

For Individuals

SB 1047 has been approved by the California legislature. Now Governor Newsom needs to decide whether or not to sign it into law by Sept 30. If you want your voice to be heard, please consider the following actions:

Tweet

Post a tweet beginning with ".@GavinNewsom" and explain why you want the governor to sign the bill. It can be as simple as this:

.@GavinNewsom We need you to lead on AI safety. Please sign SB 1047 into law in order to help keep us safe.

Call

You can call the governor's office directly at 916-445-2841. Then press 1, then 6. Here's something to consider saying:

"My name is ___ from [your town], and I'm calling to urge Governor Newsom to sign SB 1047. AI safety is very important to me, and I think we should require the companies building the biggest AI models to test them for safety. AI has a ton of potential for good and for bad, and we can't just trust the tech industry to regulate itself on this issue. Governor Newsom has led the nation on many other important issues, including climate change, marriage equality, and more. Now we need him to lead on AI safety. Please tell him that we need him to sign SB 1047 into law."

Message

Send the governor a message through his website. Under Topic, choose "An Active Bill." Then select SB 1047. Click "leave a comment," and then "next." Select "Pro" as your stance and under "Message Subject," replace "An Active Bill" with "Please Sign SB 1047." Then leave a message. Be sure to mention where you live. Then provide your name and email address. Example message:

"Dear Governor Newsom. My name is ___ from [your town], and I'm writing in support of SB 1047. AI safety is very important to me, and I think we should require the companies developing the biggest AI models to test them for safety. This is exactly how we regulate other industries where people's safety is at risk. Why should powerful AI companies be any different? We can't just trust the tech industry to regulate itself on this issue. As the global AI capital, California must lead on AI safety. We are counting on you to look out for us and sign SB 1047. You've led the nation on other important issues, including climate change, marriage equality, and more. Now we need you to lead on AI safety - please sign SB 1047 into law."

Letter

Write a letter addressed to Governor Newsom with the subject line "Requesting signature of SB 1047." Save the letter as a PDF, and email it to Leg.Unit@gov.ca.gov. Please make sure that your letter mentions what town you live in. Your letter should also express why you believe SB 1047 is needed. You can talk about why California should lead on AI safety, why you believe risks are real, why you believe it makes sense to regulate frontier AI companies, why you think the duties in SB 1047 are reasonable, or anything else you feel is important to express. These letters are best if they are unique to each person, so we are not providing a detailed template, but a letter outline is linked below.

Source: https://safesecureai.org/get-involved

For all other podcast episodes related to unregulated AI and SB 1047, click here.