Overview

• SB 53 requires large AI developers to disclose safety practices, report incidents, protect whistleblowers, and support a public compute resource called CalCompute.
• Final legislative approval moves the bill to Governor Gavin Newsom, who has not publicly indicated whether he will sign or veto it.
• Amendments set a $500 million annual revenue threshold that limits disclosures for smaller frontier-model companies to high-level safety details.
• Industry reaction is split as trade groups and major firms oppose new state rules while Anthropic publicly backs the bill as a workable blueprint absent federal standards.
• The measure reflects input from an expert panel convened after last year’s veto and arrives alongside arguments that state rules should align with federal or European frameworks and may face constitutional scrutiny.