Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills Wednesday establishing new oversight rules for how outside groups evaluate artificial intelligence systems, legislation that drew support from both OpenAI and Anthropic.
One bill creates a registry and sets ethical standards for third-party auditors that AI developers can hire to verify whether their models comply with California’s AI laws. The other directs the state to establish criteria for, and verify the credentials of, what the legislation calls Independent Verification Organizations, groups tasked with assessing AI risks, according to Politico.
Anthropic announced its support for both bills in August. OpenAI waited until Wednesday, confirming its backing just before Newsom signed them into law.
The signings came just days after Jacob Coxon, a former researcher who had worked at both Anthropic and OpenAI, posted about his resignation in a message that spread widely online. Coxon has said he believes AI companies are racing toward superintelligent systems and “gambling” with people’s lives, comments that prompted several federal lawmakers to renew calls for legislative action.
Asked about Coxon’s resignation and his warning, Newsom told Politico in a statement: “The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public.” He also urged federal lawmakers to “step forward with robust, national regulations that match the urgency of this moment.”
“We have always been transparent that AI will bring both enormous benefits and unprecedented risks. To address these risks, we continue to build models with some of the strongest safeguards in the industry … This work is also why we believe the world would benefit from the industry adopting a lawful, verifiable way to work together to pace how we release powerful models.”
That statement came from an Anthropic spokesperson on Wednesday.
Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said the company plans to keep pushing for AI safety measures in state legislatures until Congress passes national regulation. Lehane also voiced support for other California measures, including SB 1119, which addresses safety requirements for chatbots aimed at children. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had contacted Newsom with last-minute concerns about SB 1119 before it was signed.
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