OpenAI Calls for Federal AI Safety Rules While Backing Four California Bills

OpenAI is calling for mandatory U.S. safety rules for the most powerful AI systems while backing four California measures intended to strengthen oversight now. Its central argument is that obligations should be tied to what an AI model can do, rather than the size of the company that developed it.

In its policy statement, OpenAI said voluntary commitments are no longer enough and urged Congress to establish capability-based national regulation before it adjourns in December. The proposed framework includes common testing standards, independent assessments of frontier models, stronger cybersecurity protections and reporting requirements for serious safety incidents.

OpenAI says federal requirements should cover only the handful of well-resourced labs building the most capable systems. It also argues that frontier-safety policy should not become a way to restrict open models, which it says can serve needs for local deployment, control, security or data residency.

Until Congress acts, OpenAI says states should keep building the safety infrastructure that federal lawmakers could later adopt. The company formally endorsed four California bills that have passed the legislature and are headed to Governor Gavin Newsom, saying it had reconsidered its stance on some measures after recent capability advances.

The California package

• SB 813 would establish a process to designate qualified independent organizations to assess AI risks.
• AB 1405 would set registration, independence, transparency and accountability requirements for AI auditors.
• SB 1119 would add age assurance, risk assessments, audits, parental controls and harmful-content safeguards for children and teens using companion chatbots.
• AB 1864 would require federal screening standards for gene-synthesis providers and manufacturers of benchtop synthesis equipment.

OpenAI also wants industry-led standards for monitoring frontier systems, particularly as models gain autonomy, access more powerful tools and operate for longer periods. It says those voluntary standards should complement, not replace, mandatory federal safeguards and democratic oversight.

The announcement creates no new legal requirement. It instead places OpenAI behind a policy path that combines federal rules, state action and shared lab practices. Whether lawmakers accept its capability-based boundary will determine who must meet the resulting safety bar.