OpenAI says California should strengthen its AI safety bill

In a notable reversal, OpenAI is now urging California lawmakers to make AI safety bill SB 53 more robust — a measure the company had previously fought against. The shift signals a changing stance from one of the world's most influential AI developers on state-level oversight.

OpenAI has reversed course on California's SB 53, an AI safety-focused piece of legislation, now pushing for the bill to be made stronger rather than opposing its existence as the company previously did. The turnaround marks a significant shift in posture from one of the most prominent players in the artificial intelligence industry.

California has become a key battleground for AI regulation in the United States, particularly after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the more sweeping SB 1047 last year. SB 53 represents a scaled-back follow-up effort, and OpenAI's newfound support — and desire for stricter language — could influence how lawmakers shape the final bill and potentially how other tech firms respond to state-level AI governance efforts.

OpenAI has done an about-face on California's AI safety legislation known as SB 53, now actively encouraging state lawmakers to toughen the bill rather than water it down. This is a striking departure from the company's earlier opposition to the measure, and it raises important questions about what is driving the change in strategy.

California has been at the forefront of attempts to regulate artificial intelligence at the state level in the United States. The earlier and more ambitious SB 1047 was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024 after significant pushback from the tech industry, including from major AI companies. SB 53 emerged as a more measured successor, focusing on safety reporting and incident documentation rather than imposing the broader liability frameworks its predecessor proposed.

OpenAI's pivot could reflect several underlying motivations. The company may be seeking to shape regulations in a direction that favors its own compliance capabilities and market position, potentially raising the bar in ways that are harder for smaller competitors to meet. Alternatively, it could reflect a genuine recalibration toward embracing guardrails as public and regulatory scrutiny of AI systems intensifies globally.

Why it matters: When a dominant AI developer shifts from resisting regulation to calling for stricter rules, it has an outsized effect on the broader policy landscape. OpenAI's endorsement of stronger safety provisions could lend credibility to the legislative effort, make it harder for other companies to lobby against it, and set a precedent for how AI firms engage with government oversight in the future. It also signals that industry self-governance narratives may be giving way to an acceptance that formal regulation is inevitable.

For policymakers, advocates, and rival tech companies alike, OpenAI's new stance on SB 53 is worth watching closely. How much influence the company wields over the bill's final language — and whether the strengthened version eventually passes and survives any legal challenges — could help define the template for AI regulation across other U.S. states and beyond.