Chance Townsend serves as the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, where he dives into topics like technology, video games, dating apps, and digital culture, among other subjects. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas and shares his home with a beloved orange cat. His written work has also appeared in notable publications such as PC Mag and Mother Jones.
Recently, OpenAI has urged California legislators to enhance the state's groundbreaking artificial intelligence safety law, which it had previously supported.
The tech company is advocating for modifications to SB 53, known as the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, a law that Governor Gavin Newsom ratified in September 2025. OpenAI is asking for stricter provisions to be added, particularly those that mandate monitoring of frontier AI models during their training or evaluation phases. This would help identify any potential vulnerabilities, such as the ability to bypass security measures or access confidential data improperly.
Additionally, OpenAI seeks a more robust cybersecurity framework throughout the development of AI models, aimed at ensuring that these systems do not undermine their internal protections.
To provide context, SB 53 was already a substantial legislative achievement at the time of its enactment. The law requires major frontier AI developers to disclose their safety protocols, establishes an official mechanism for reporting critical safety incidents to California's Office of Emergency Services, protects individuals who report issues, and empowers the state Attorney General to impose civil penalties on non-compliant companies.
The legislation also established CalCompute, a public computing consortium designed to enhance safety and equity research, and mandates an annual review of the law as technology evolves. At the time of its introduction, Newsom emphasized that it demonstrated California's ability to safeguard the public while allowing the AI industry—integral to the state's economy—to thrive. The law was also seen as a necessary stopgap in the absence of comprehensive federal AI regulations.
Given the current political climate, OpenAI has dubbed its approach "reverse federalism." This emphasizes that while Congress delays in passing comprehensive AI legislation, individual states can proactively establish compatible safety standards, which may eventually inform national policy.
OpenAI has framed its request as a proactive measure rather than a reaction to specific incidents, clarifying that it aims to create a framework that addresses potential issues early on and promotes the sharing of lessons learned across the industry. While these propositions are constructive, they also strategically position OpenAI to influence the development of such standards.
It’s worth noting that Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, claiming that the company infringed upon its copyrights while training and operating its AI systems.
