OpenAI wants California to tighten the AI transparency law it once fought.
On Friday, OpenAI published a formal request asking state lawmakers to strengthen SB 53, California's AI transparency law. Politico's Chase DiFeliciantonio first reported the request. OpenAI is the first major AI lab to publicly call for changes to SB 53, which was the first law of its kind in the United States. The company had previously opposed the law before it passed.
That reversal matters because AI labs almost never ask regulators to tighten rules on themselves. Companies typically lobby to weaken transparency requirements, not strengthen them, so a request like this stands out regardless of motive.
Whether this is a genuine shift in OpenAI's safety posture or a calculated move to shape the rules before rivals do, the optics are the story for now. Watch for what specific changes OpenAI actually proposes before taking the gesture at face value.