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OpenAI backs measure that would require independent audits of AI models

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Cerullo, M. (2026, September 15). OpenAI backs measure that would require independent audits of AI models. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/openai-sam-altman-frontier-act/

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CBS News · collected 2026-09-15 · by Megan Cerullo

Quick Summary

Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, announced that the company supports parts of a bipartisan bill called the FRONTIER Act in Congress. This bill would require large AI companies like OpenAI to undergo independent audits to assess their safety protocols and disclose any safety incidents related to their models. Although OpenAI backs the concept of third-party audits, it has not fully endorsed the entire bill. The company previously supported state-level legislation but this is its first support for a federal mandate on AI regulation.
Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, supports parts of a bipartisan bill in Congress called the FRONTIER Act. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA), would require independent audits for large language models developed by AI companies like OpenAI. According to Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, the company backs the proposal but hasn't fully endorsed the bill yet. The FRONTIER Act aims to ensure that developers publish reports on their models and disclose safety incidents while having an independent organization assess whether a company’s safety protocols adequately mitigate catastrophic risks from AI technology. This marks the first time OpenAI has supported federal regulation of AI.

Written for “AI Model Audits Requirement” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 AI Model Audits Requirement
Technology · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 18% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Semafor
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses general calls for AI regulation and a researcher's concerns at Anthropic, while Article B reports on OpenAI supporting federal legislation requiring independent audits of AI models.”
The Free Press
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 96/100
“Article A discusses an online post by Anthropic's CEO proposing measures to slow AI development and improve safety, while Article B reports on OpenAI supporting a federal bill for independent audits of AI models.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different actions by Microsoft and OpenAI related to AI regulation, not the same specific event.”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 7 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses a lack of consensus among AI CEOs and companies regarding industry regulation, while Article B reports on OpenAI's support for a specific federal bill (FRONTIER Act) requiring independent audits of AI models.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Chris Lehane's activities related to AI regulation, not the same specific incident.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI regulation; Article A focuses on OpenAI's support for a specific federal bill, while Article B addresses broader debates about U.S. competitiveness with China in AI regulation.”
Semafor
Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI regulation debates without clearly covering the same specific incident or meeting.”
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 34 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles mention OpenAI's interactions with lawmakers regarding AI regulation, they describe different aspects of those interactions (one about audits and one about copyright protections).”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A discusses general calls for AI regulation and mentions various stakeholders' positions without specifying any particular bill or action. Article B specifically reports on OpenAI's support for a federal bill called the FRONTIER Act, which is a different specific event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
11
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
18%
2 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

CBS News · 4290 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Megan Cerullo
29 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Megan Cerullo
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 29 articles by Megan Cerullo →

Topics

CBS News Congress OpenAI Washington the FRONTIER Act

Subjects

OpenAI ORG · 5× Lehane PERSON · 4× CBS News ORG · 2× Congress ORG · 2× California GPE · 1× Chris Lehane PERSON · 1× D.C. GPE · 1× Obernolte PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Washington GPE · 1×

Narrative

Lehane's comments come as AI researchers and developers warn about the potential for advanced AI to .Patrolling frontier models The FRONTIER Act, sponsored by Reps. Jay Obernolte, a Republican from California, and Lori Trahan, a Democrat from Massachusetts, would also require AI developers to publish reports on their models and disclose safety incidents. Although OpenAI supports third-party audits of AI models, the company hasn't endorsed the bill in its entirety, the spokesperson noted.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15
🔮 ChatGPT maker OpenAI supports parts of a bipartisan bill in Congress that would require the largest AI companies to submit their large language models to independent audits, according to Chris Lehane, the company's chief global affairs officer.

Claims (11 extracted, 2 hedged)

ChatGPT maker OpenAI supports parts of a bipartisan bill in Congress that would require the largest AI companies to submit their large language models to independent audits, according to Chris Lehane, the company's chief global affairs officer. uncertain
that → support → Lehane
OpenAI has previously backed state legislation to regulate AI, but this marks the first time the company has thrown its weight behind a federal mandate that would require a third-party group to assess AI developers' work. asserted
that → back → work
Lehane expressed support for the proposal, which is included in a bill now before lawmakers called the FRONTIER Act, during a roundtable with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, an OpenAI spokesperson told CBS News. asserted
spokesperson → express → News
Specifically, an independent organization would have to determine that an AI company's safety protocols are sufficiently rigorous to mitigate what the bill describes as "acceptable levels of catastrophic risk." asserted
bill → have → risk
Lehane's comments come as AI researchers and developers warn about the potential for advanced AI to .Patrolling frontier models The FRONTIER Act, sponsored by Reps. Jay Obernolte, a Republican from California, and Lori Trahan, a Democrat from Massachusetts, would also require AI developers to publish reports on their models and disclose safety incidents. Although OpenAI supports third-party audits of AI models, the company hasn't endorsed the bill in its entirety, the spokesperson noted. asserted
spokesperson → come → entirety
In a Sept. 9 blog post, Lehane called for regulatory action to control AI development. asserted
Lehane → call → development
OpenAI is calling for Congress to enact mandatory national AI safety requirements and advocates that leading AI developers collaborate to develop industry standards. asserted
developers → call → standards
Advanced AI could accelerate the development of new medicines, strengthen critical infrastructure, expand economic opportunity, and help solve scientific problems that have resisted generations of human effort," Lehane wrote. uncertain
Lehane → accelerate → effort
"But the capabilities that make models more useful also come with risks, and they will not remain confined to a few frontier laboratories." Joseph Miller, an AI safety researcher and founder of PauseAI UK, a group that supports slowing AI development, said that the public debate over how to control potential AI risks is long overdue. asserted
debate → make → risks
He also thinks leading AI developers are unlikely to take sufficiently strong measures to safeguard their technology absent government intervention. asserted
developers → think → intervention
"We need government to lead on it, because they probably aren't going to do it without the government stepping in," Miller told CBS News. asserted
Miller → need → News
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