California enacts SB 53 for frontier AI: safety & reporting

What happened California’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (SB 53) is now law, and most provisions take effect January 1, 2026. Large “frontier” developers must publish a documented Frontier AI Framework, submit summaries of catastrophic‑risk assessments, and report critical safety incidents to the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). (https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB53/id/3270002?utm_source=openai)

Key details SB 53 defines a frontier model as a foundation model trained with more than 10^26 integer or floating‑point operations and defines a large frontier developer as an entity with over $500 million in annual revenue. Covered developers must publish governance and mitigation protocols publicly. The law requires submission of catastrophic‑risk assessment summaries every three months (or on another reasonable schedule approved in writing by Cal OES). Covered entities must report critical safety incidents within 15 days of discovery, or within 24 hours if the incident poses an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury. The statute authorizes civil penalties up to $1,000,000 per violation. (https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB53/id/3270002?utm_source=openai)

What changed with AB 853 Assembly Bill 853 delays the operative date of the separate AI Transparency Act (SB 942) to August 2, 2026. Core frontier‑AI disclosure requirements under SB 53 still begin January 1, 2026. AB 853 also phases and expands certain provenance and platform obligations. (https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB853/2025?utm_source=openai)

Why It Matters

• Compliance window: Legal and security teams should finalize a Frontier AI Framework and internal reporting procedures before Jan 1, 2026 to avoid civil penalties.
• Incident readiness: Implement playbooks to triage and report critical safety incidents within 15 days (24 hours for imminent physical risk) and create confidential internal reporting channels for covered employees.
• Risk governance cadence: Routine the quarterly catastrophic‑risk assessment summaries or secure a written alternate schedule from Cal OES.
• Prioritize obligations: GenAI platforms and capture‑device makers get more time for some content‑transparency duties until Aug 2, 2026, but must meet SB 53 requirements starting Jan 1, 2026.