⚖️ Senator Wiener continues to push AI legislation in California

California Revives AI Safety Push with Revised Bill SB 53

California State Senator Scott Wiener has introduced new amendments to SB 53, reviving efforts to mandate transparency from leading AI developers like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. The bill would require companies training massive AI models to publish safety and security reports and disclose incidents with significant societal risk. The proposal follows the failure of Wiener’s earlier bill, SB 1047, which Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed amid industry pushback and concerns about stifling innovation.

A Softer Yet Strategic Regulatory Approach

Unlike its predecessor, SB 53 drops liability provisions and excludes smaller AI developers and those merely fine-tuning models, reflecting feedback from both Newsom’s AI policy group and industry players. The bill also includes whistleblower protections and proposes CalCompute, a state-funded compute cluster for startups and researchers. While tech giants remain wary, the bill’s narrower focus may help it survive the legislative gauntlet.

Get Ahead of Transparency Demands

Whether or not SB 53 becomes law, the pressure for large AI companies to improve safety disclosures is mounting and not just in California. As federal regulation continues to stall, state-led initiatives are filling the gap. AI companies should prepare for more formal oversight by investing in rigorous internal reporting systems, clarifying incident response procedures, and being ready to share risk mitigation plans publicly. Transparency is no longer optional; it’s becoming table stakes.

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