Anthropic aligns with California’s AI transparency push as powerful models loom by 2026

Anthropic’s commitment to AI transparency aligns with California’s policy direction, offering a roadmap for responsible frontier model development. As Governor Newsom’s Working Group on AI releases its draft report, Anthropic has positioned itself as a collaborative partner by highlighting how transparency requirements can create trust, improve security, and generate better evidence for policymaking without hindering innovation—particularly crucial as powerful AI systems may arrive as soon as late 2026.

The big picture: Anthropic welcomes California’s focus on transparency and evidence-based standards for frontier AI models while noting their current practices already align with many of the working group’s recommendations.

• The company sees transparency as a “low-cost, high-impact” approach that grows the evidence base around new technology, increases consumer trust, and encourages positive competition among AI developers.
• Particularly valuable is the working group’s emphasis on disclosures about model security and potential national security risks.

Current practices: Anthropic already implements many of the practices recommended in the draft report through their established policies and procedures.

• Their Responsible Scaling Policy publicly outlines how they assess models for misuse and autonomy risks, including specific thresholds that trigger increased safety measures.
• The company publishes results of safety and security testing with each major model release and supplements internal testing with third-party evaluations.

Policy recommendations: Anthropic suggests governments could strengthen AI safety by requiring basic transparency measures from frontier AI companies.

• Currently, frontier AI developers aren’t required to have safety and security policies, describe these policies publicly, or document their testing procedures.
• Anthropic believes these requirements could be implemented without impeding innovation, creating a baseline for responsible development.

Future focus: The working group highlighted several areas requiring additional attention from multiple stakeholders in coming years.

• Economic impacts of AI systems need particular focus, with Anthropic noting its current contributions through its Economic Index.
• The company expects to provide further feedback to help finalize the report and shape California’s approach to frontier model safety.

Why this matters: With Anthropic predicting powerful AI systems could arrive by the end of 2026, establishing transparency requirements now creates a foundation for responsible development before more advanced models emerge.