California has been the global high-tech Mecca (though less so in recent years), but will the AI revolution happen in the Golden State? The Democrat-dominated state legislature in Sacramento has approved legislation that would kneecap the AI sector – and could drive the industry out of the state and, very likely, out of the country.

The legislation would impose new regulations on AI developers, while also mandating the creation of a state-run “cloud” architecture for AI. What could go wrong with that? These are the same people who couldn’t build EV charging stations with $7 billion.

Stanford University’s Fei-Fei Li, a leading light in the AI world, is strongly opposed to the legislation and warns that it will “stifle innovation,” “shackle open-source development,” and “cripple public sector and academic AI research.”

The bill is sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk. If he signs it, California could be saying adios to what is likely to be a $100 billion industry in a few years.