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⚖️ Regulation~ Likely72August 23, 2026

OpenAI Urges Stronger California AI Safety Bill

OpenAI now advocates for strengthening California's SB 53 AI safety bill.

Insta's take

"OpenAI did a 180 on California's AI bill. They used to hate it, now they want it stronger. Wild."

OpenAI is calling for California to strengthen its AI safety bill, SB 53, a bill the company previously opposed. The company's global affairs team stated in a LinkedIn post that SB 53 "should be amended to expand safeguards." These proposed amendments include "requiring monitoring of frontier models under training or evaluation for potential serious incidents" and "strengthening cybersecurity protections throughout the model-development lifecycle."

OpenAI's shift in stance follows "recent incidents" that, according to the company, "underscore both the need for these protections and the importance of updating them." The company committed to working with the California legislature and the Governor to strengthen SB 53, noting that it now supports "reverse federalism" in the absence of significant federal legislation. This approach suggests states can establish core protections that could form a national standard.

This endorsement of stronger AI safeguards is notable given OpenAI's prior opposition to SB 53, which imposes transparency requirements and whistleblower protections on large AI companies. The company's change of course indicates a growing recognition of the need for robust AI regulation, particularly at the state level.

Why Insta thinks this matters

This development signals a significant shift in a major AI company's stance on regulation, potentially influencing future AI policy. Businesses should monitor these legislative changes as they could impact development, deployment, and compliance requirements for AI technologies.

Sources
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