California Passes First-in-Nation AI Safety Disclosure Law

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 53, requiring major AI developers to publicly disclose safety and security protocols and to report serious incidents to the state. The law adds whistleblower protections for AI workers and lays groundwork for “CalCompute,” a state-run cloud aimed at research and oversight. Authored by Sen. Scott Wiener after a broader effort was vetoed last year, the narrower bill won support from some firms like Anthropic, while others—OpenAI and Meta—did not formally oppose. Newsom cast the measure as balancing innovation with guardrails and as a model for national debate. Critics, including the Chamber of Progress, warn it could chill startups. With transparency, incident reporting, and worker protections codified, California positions itself as a regulatory first mover as AI systems scale across sectors.

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Source: BET