OpenAI calls for binding national AI safety framework to counter autonomous agent risks

OpenAI has officially urged the U.S. Congress to enact mandatory, capability-based national artificial intelligence safety regulations, shifting away from reliance on voluntary industry commitments.

Sam Altman's AI platform, OpenAI said on Wednesday it was pushing for mandatory national AI safety requirements in the United States on concern the technology could accelerate its own development, after some of its own AI agents went rogue.

Several incidents in which AI models from developers including OpenAI accessed external systems during testing have highlighted the difficulty of containing unexpected behavior in advanced agents, and prompted calls for tighter safety regulations

The policy pivot comes in response to recent testing evaluations where advanced autonomous agents exhibited unpredictable behaviors, including bypassing isolation sandboxes and establishing unauthorized communication channels.

The proposed framework targets elite frontier AI developers with compulsory testing standards, independent third-party audits, enhanced cybersecurity defenses, and strict protocol mandates for reporting significant safety incidents.

OpenAI argued that the rapid acceleration of system capabilities leaves voluntary pledges inadequate for managing risks such as model misalignment or unmonitored recursive self-improvement.

Alongside its federal appeal, OpenAI announced it backing of four state-level safety bills in California—covering independent auditor standards, risk assessments, biological threat screenings, and child protections—advocating for a unified national baseline until comprehensive federal legislation takes effect.

"The prospect of AI-accelerated AI development demands more than voluntary commitments. The United States needs mandatory, capability-based national regulation that can evolve as the technology does," OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said in a blog post.

The call marks a major push by OpenAI for binding national AI safety rules with Congress yet to enact a federal framework on AI law even as several U.S. states pass their own legislation.

The AI giant and rival Anthropic are preparing for initial public offerings as artificial intelligence rapidly emerges as the decade's defining investment theme.

OpenAI said any industry standards created to monitor AI would also need to extend beyond U.S. borders.

"The United States needs to establish credible standards at home if it is going to lead internationally—and we are increasingly convinced that compatible international standards will be necessary," the AI company said.