September 30, 2025 — Less than a year after the California State University (CSU) system officially adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) across its 23 campuses, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark AI safety law. The new legislation, Senate Bill 53, or the “Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (TFAIA),” aims to make sure powerful new AI models are safe, secure, and trustworthy.
This action has major implications for the entire CSU system, but especially at places like Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB), where students, faculty, and staff are already showing some levels of disagreement over how much AI should be used in the classroom and on campus.
Governor Newsom signed SB 53 on Monday, touting it as the first state law of its kind to regulate the most cutting-edge AI, the kind referred to as “frontier” AI. The goal isn’t to stop new ideas, but to build confidence in the technology as it rapidly grows. Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s author, emphasized that California is taking a leadership role globally. The law sets clear rules for AI developers, primarily focusing on requiring more transparency and safety measures. For example, companies must now publicly share how they follow national and international safety standards. The law also establishes a clear process for these companies and the public to report any serious safety incidents, and it protects whistleblowers who speak out about potential health and safety risks. Furthermore, a new group called CalCompute will be created to help foster ethical AI research and innovation within the state. Simply put, the new law is about making sure the companies building AI are upfront about their safety plans and accountable when things go wrong.
This push for government “guardrails” comes directly into conflict with the CSU system’s recent adoption of AI tools. Here at CSUSB, this institutional embrace of the technology has created real friction between the desire for innovation and major concerns about fairness and cheating. Many CSUSB faculty members see AI as an important tool for research and for getting students ready for future jobs, especially since California is the national center for AI careers. However, a large number of professors worry that when students use AI to complete assignments, it becomes nearly impossible to tell if a student truly understands the material. They are constantly debating how to redesign assignments to be “AI-proof” and figure out what level of originality is now required.
CSUSB students are also split on the issue. Some students happily use AI programs like ChatGPT as a powerful study aid, arguing that it helps them summarize long readings or quickly draft communications, thereby increasing their efficiency. On the other hand, many students and campus leaders are concerned that relying too much on AI will cause key academic skills, such as critical thinking and writing, to fade away. The widespread use of AI also brings up questions about academic honesty and equity, since access to the best, most powerful AI tools can sometimes depend on a student’s ability to pay.
Ultimately, Governor Newsom’s signing of SB 53 means that the AI software and tools used by CSUSB must now fall under these new, mandatory safety rules. While the law mainly targets the large corporations that create frontier AI, it has a ripple effect on every organization that uses it, including our university. The law’s focus on transparency could eventually lead to better ways for AI companies to help faculty identify AI-generated content, a feature desperately needed on campus. The push for safety and accountability supports the development of more trustworthy AI systems, which could calm the fears of those worried about bias and accuracy in the tools students use. The new state law reinforces the idea that California wants to both invent and govern AI. For the CSUSB campus, the big debate now moves from “Should we use AI?” to the more important question: “How do we make sure we use these regulated, potentially safer AI tools in a way that truly improves, and doesn’t hurt, our core mission of education?” The conversation among Coyotes is far from finished.