OpenAI Sends Letter to Governor Newsom for Regulatory Harmonization

The United States faces a choice between setting clear national standards for AI or a patchwork of state-by-state regulations that slows innovation without improving safety. OpenAI recently sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, urging the state to harmonize its AI regulations with federal and global standards.

OpenAI suggests that companies should comply with federal and global safety guidelines while building a national model that other states can follow. In particular, it emphasized that companies working with federal agencies such as CAISI (Center for AI Standards and Innovation) or complying with frameworks like the EU AI Code of Practice should be considered to have met state requirements.

It also cautioned that regulations designed for large companies should not place excessive cost burdens on startups. This is comparable to how CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) made housing construction difficult in the 1970s, and regulations should not become an obstacle blocking AI innovation in the same way.

Finally, it stated that regulatory harmonization is a strategic task for building a U.S.-led democratic AI. This is because fragmented regulation holds back American companies, while it could work in favor of AI companies in authoritarian countries such as China that do not follow such regulations.