Newsom Signs AI Industry-Approved AI Regulation Bills Into Law in California

With the signing of two bills on Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom is doing his part to crack down on AI after that spooky story about an AI researcher named Jacob Coxon quitting Anthropic and warning about how AI industry leaders think they might be hastening Armageddon. Oh, but it’s probably worth keeping in mind that the new California laws are well-liked by the AI industry.
As noted by Politico last month, Anthropic endorsed the bills. Anthropic’s chief rival, OpenAI, also announced its support for the bills in the hours before Newsom’s signing.
“We’ve reached a new chapter in AI capabilities, and that demands a new chapter for AI policy,” says the introduction of OpenAI’s statement, credited to Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Chief of Public Affairs.
When asked by Politico about Coxon’s concerns about out-of-control AI in particular, Newsom said, “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.” The federal government, Newsom said, should “step forward with robust, national regulations that match the urgency of this moment.”
State Senator Jerry McNerney SB 813 establishes an organization called the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission. The commission will be tasked with creating a set of voluntary AI safety standards.
Meanwhile, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1405 creates an AI risk auditor registry—a way of checking auditors’ credentials.
For what it’s worth, the statement from OpenAI’s Lehane also says the company “will advocate for compatible international approaches to measuring capabilities, managing risk, preserving human control, and determining when and how development should slow or stop, even if that means slowing the advancement of model capabilities.”
Anthropic’s statement to Politico points to its history of creating safeguards. Such work, Anthropic says, “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.”

Facts Only

* California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Wednesday.
* Senator Jerry McNerney introduced SB 813, establishing the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission.
* The commission will create voluntary AI safety standards.
* Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan introduced AB 1405, creating an AI risk auditor registry.
* Anthropic endorsed the bills.
* OpenAI announced support for the bills.
* OpenAI's Chief of Public Affairs stated that new AI capabilities demand a new chapter for AI policy.
* The federal government was urged by Newsom to implement robust, national regulations.
* OpenAI advocated for compatible international approaches to measuring capabilities and managing risk.
* Anthropic believes the industry should adopt verifiable methods to pace model releases.

Executive Summary

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Wednesday regarding artificial intelligence safety, prompted by concerns raised by an AI researcher about the potential for the industry to hasten catastrophic events. The state legislation includes establishing the California Artificial Intelligence Standards and Safety Commission through Senator Jerry McNerney's SB 813, which will create voluntary AI safety standards. Additionally, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan's AB 1405 establishes an AI risk auditor registry for credential checking. Industry entities Anthropic and OpenAI both publicly endorsed these bills. OpenAI’s Chief of Public Affairs stated that the advancement in AI capabilities requires a new chapter for policy, advocating for international approaches to measure capabilities and manage risk while preserving human control. Anthropic noted its commitment to creating safeguards and suggested the industry adopt lawful methods to pace the release of powerful models.

Full Take

The alignment between industry support and state action suggests a complex negotiation occurring at the intersection of technological acceleration and regulatory response. The framework established in California, focusing on voluntary standards and auditing mechanisms, represents an attempt to institutionalize the safeguards that industry actors, like Anthropic and OpenAI, have historically advocated for internally. This dynamic shifts the burden from purely reactive regulation to proactive self-governance within the sector itself. The tension lies between the industry's desire for flexible advancement and the public's demand for concrete risk mitigation, as articulated by concerns regarding potential Armageddon. The call for international approaches implies an acknowledgment that unilateral national regulation may be insufficient against global technological proliferation. The underlying pattern is a slow, deliberate attempt to weave safety considerations into the operational fabric of powerful AI development rather than imposing external constraints after the fact. What are the long-term consequences when voluntary industry standards are adopted as de facto regulatory benchmarks? And who holds the ultimate authority when international and state standards diverge?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

The text is a balanced report synthesizing political actions and corporate statements regarding AI regulation, grounded in publicly reported events and quotes.

Signals Detected

Moderate sentence length variance; natural conversational flow punctuated by direct quotes.

Logical flow connecting the initial hook (news event) to subsequent policy details, even when addressing counterpoints.

Relies on cited sources (Politico, OpenAI statements) to drive claims rather than asserting them as fact.

Absence of characteristic AI hedging or overly smooth argumentation; tone varies between reporting and commentary.

Human Indicators

Use of direct, somewhat informal framing ('spooky story', 'For what it’s worth') suggests a human editorial voice reacting to the news.

The integration of specific, distinct stakeholder statements (Newsom, OpenAI, Anthropic) creates a layered narrative typical of journalistic synthesis.