OpenAI and Common Sense Media Reach Compromise on California Child-Safety Ballot Measure

OpenAI and Common Sense Media agreed to set aside competing California ballot proposals and collaborate on a single measure about how AI chatbots interact with children, and OpenAI will commit at least $10 million to the campaign, two people familiar with the matter said.

OpenAI and the nonprofit Common Sense Media said they will withdraw competing California ballot proposals and work together on a single measure to limit how AI chatbots interact with children. The groups announced the agreement at a press conference and said the compromise would give parents more control while dropping some of Common Sense Media’s original provisions. The move follows more than a year of talks and an existing partnership on AI guidelines and educational materials. Officials said the proposal could be pulled if the California legislature acts quickly on child chatbot safety. Key details: - The organizations agreed to set aside competing initiatives and collaborate on revised ballot language. - OpenAI will commit at least $10 million to the ballot measure campaign, according to two people familiar with the matter. - The compromise would omit certain clauses Common Sense Media had supported, including a classroom cellphone ban and a private right to sue large AI companies. - The revised measure would need about 875,000 signatures to reach the November ballot; campaign organizers said signature gathering could begin in early February. - Proposed requirements include serving users identified as under 18 a different version of the service, providing parental controls, undergoing independent child-safety audits, and prohibiting advertising targeted at children. Summary: The agreement ends a potential multimillion-dollar clash between the groups and creates a single ballot path for child-safety rules on AI chatbots. The measure would change how AI companies treat users identified as minors and add parental controls and audits while omitting some earlier, broader restrictions. Campaign organizers said signature gathering could begin in early February, though the proposal could be withdrawn if the state legislature acts first.