California SB 53 chaptered into law

SB 53 was approved by the Governor and chaptered as Chapter 138, Statutes of 2025.

Event typepublication

This update belongs to California SB 53 / TFAIA. Read the parent policy page for the full instrument.

What changed

Fact

Chaptering fixed the statutory text that later took effect on 1 January 2026.

SB 53 was approved by the Governor and chaptered as Chapter 138, Statutes of 2025.

Operational consequence

Analysis

Created California’s frontier-developer transparency statute.

The consequence statement is limited to what the linked evidence and event record support.

Supporting passages

Fact

Exact quotes below are taken from evidence rows attached to this update.

California requires large frontier developers to publish a frontier AI framework. Business and Professions Code section 22757.12(a) requires covered developers to write, implement, comply with and publish a frontier AI framework.

A large frontier developer shall write, implement, comply with, and clearly and conspicuously publish on its internet website a frontier AI framework that applies to the large frontier developer’s frontier models and describes how the large frontier developer approaches all of the following:
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22757.12(a)

Limits

Coverage depends on statutory definitions of frontier model and large frontier developer, which the Department of Technology must revisit annually from 2027.

An update page records a dated change. It does not replace the full vehicle text or later amendments.

Policy questions

Frontier safety

Should frontier models face mandatory evaluations?

Evaluation language is widespread in policy texts. Thresholds, evaluators and legal consequences remain contested.

Policy asks

in-force

Require large frontier developers to publish catastrophic-risk safety frameworks

Require covered large frontier developers to write, implement, comply with and publish a frontier AI framework covering catastrophic-risk assessment, mitigations and related disclosures.

Policy vehicles

regulation · In force

California SB 53 · Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act

Chaptered California statute requiring large frontier developers to publish frontier AI frameworks, transparency reports and critical-incident pathways.

Evidence

Source basis

Direct sourceOpen evidence record

California requires large frontier developers to publish a frontier AI framework

Business and Professions Code section 22757.12(a) requires covered developers to write, implement, comply with and publish a frontier AI framework.

A large frontier developer shall write, implement, comply with, and clearly and conspicuously publish on its internet website a frontier AI framework that applies to the large frontier developer’s frontier models and describes how the large frontier developer approaches all of the following:

California Legislative Information · Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22757.12(a)