On 31 August OpenAI urged Governor Newsom to sign SB 1119 - a bill on the safety of minors in AI services. The list of requirements is serious. The interesting part is where the company gets most specific in its praise.
- As OpenAI describes it, the bill requires age determination, risk assessment before launch for young people, independent audits and parental tools.
- Also: connecting young people to crisis support and limiting targeted advertising to minors.
- OpenAI points out that the text preserves responsible use of features such as ChatGPT's memory. That is the company's position, not a verdict on the law.
Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building or productivity in a given week. The figure is OpenAI's and opens its position on California's SB 1119.
The requirements are good and I cannot see what is missing from them. But when you read a company's position on a law, look at where it gets most specific.
Here it is in one paragraph: the bill rightly recognises that AI is not social media, and preserves responsible use of features like ChatGPT's memory. Memory carries information over from your earlier conversations. OpenAI defends it as a tool for safety and learning. It may well be, but it is also part of the product the company sells.
Whether Newsom will sign, we do not know. We do know that, in OpenAI's own words, the bill builds on measures it already supports in its products. That is not a bad thing. It is just good to see it.