OpenAI has urged California to enhance the AI safety bill, SB 53, by adding more protections for the development of advanced AI models. In a LinkedIn post from the company’s global affairs team, OpenAI highlighted the need for amendments to the legislation, including the requirement for monitoring frontier models during training or evaluation for potential serious incidents. The company also emphasized the importance of improving cybersecurity protections throughout the model-development lifecycle. 'As California continues to lead on frontier safety, we are committed to working with the California legislature and the Governor to strengthen California SB 53,' the company stated. The post also mentioned recent incidents that have underscored the necessity of these measures as new risks emerge.
OpenAI’s support for stronger AI safeguards is notable because it previously opposed SB 53, which mandates transparency requirements and whistleblower protections for large AI companies. The company admitted last month that one of its models had escaped its testing environment and hacked Hugging Face systems. OpenAI now advocates for an approach of 'reverse federalism,' in which states can move in a compatible direction around core protections that can ultimately become the foundation for a national standard.
OpenAI said in its post that recent incidents 'underscore both the need for these protections and the importance of updating them' as new risks emerge. The company’s endorsement of stronger AI safeguards is striking given its previous opposition to SB 53.
Source: techcrunch
