OpenAI supports California’s bill to advance youth AI safety

OpenAI has publicly announced its support for California Senate Bill 1119, a piece of legislation designed to establish meaningful safeguards for young people using artificial intelligence. In a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, OpenAI commended state lawmakers for their leadership in setting a standard for youth AI safety in the absence of federal action, encouraging the governor to sign the bill into law. According to OpenAI, the legislation aligns with the company's own principles and its newly launched ChatGPT for Teens experience, which automatically places users estimated or stated to be between 13 and 17 into a protected environment. The company highlighted several key requirements of SB 1119 that it strongly supports, including identifying and addressing safety risks prior to release, protecting young people from harmful content like self-harm or sexually exploitative material, providing parental tools, connecting users with crisis-support resources, and limiting targeted advertising while protecting personal information. Furthermore, OpenAI noted that SB 1119 appropriately distinguishes AI from social media, preserving educational and safety-critical features such as learning visualizations and responsible memory use. The legislation pairs these protective measures with continued access to useful AI tools for learning and skill-building. OpenAI stated that it looks forward to continued study and collaboration during the implementation of the framework to help keep it effective as technology evolves.