Anthropic backs California's SB 53 AI bill

Artificial intelligence developer Anthropic became the first major tech company to endorse a California bill that would regulate the most advanced AI models.

Artificial intelligence developer Anthropic became the first major tech company Monday to endorse a California bill that would regulate the most advanced artificial intelligence models.

Proposed by state Sen. Scott Wiener, SB 53, if passed, would create the first broad legal requirements for large developers of AI models in the United States.

Among other conditions, the bill would require large AI companies offering services in California to create, publicly share and adhere to safety-focused guidelines and procedures stipulating how each company attempts to mitigate risks from AI. The bill would also strengthen whistleblower requirements by creating stronger pathways for employees to flag concerns about severe or potentially catastrophic risks that might otherwise go unreported.

“With SB 53, developers can compete while ensuring they remain transparent about AI capabilities that pose risks to public safety,” Anthropic said in a statement.

The bill would largely codify existing voluntary commitments made by the world’s largest AI companies, emphasizing transparency and attention to risks from advanced AI systems. For example, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta and other companies have already committed to assessing how their products could be used for nefarious purposes and to lay out mitigations to prevent these threats. Recent research has shown that AI models can help users execute cyberattacks and lower barriers to acquiring biological weapons.