OpenAI Urges California to Strengthen AI Safety Bill

California’s SB 53 is a landmark state effort to establish safeguards for frontier artificial intelligence models, including expectations around safety testing, risk disclosure and developer accountability. The measure matters beyond California because the United States still lacks a comprehensive federal framework for advanced AI. Rules adopted by the country’s largest technology hub could shape compliance practices across the industry and serve as a template for eventual nationwide standards.

OpenAI is now urging California lawmakers to strengthen and revise SB 53, calling for closer oversight of frontier models during training and evaluation and more robust cybersecurity protections throughout the development cycle. The position marks a shift from the company’s earlier opposition to the legislation. OpenAI now argues that a stronger state framework can establish a practical safety baseline while laying the groundwork for broader federal AI regulation in the future.