Trump’s new executive order directs AI firms to provide early access to AI models

US President Donald Trump has asked leading AI firms and developers, including Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others, to voluntarily provide early access to powerful AI models. This will allow the government to conduct necessary cybersecurity tests before releasing it to the public.

Trump signed an executive order that instructed the Departments of Treasury, Defence, Commerce, and Homeland Security, and other agencies, to secure cooperative agreements with AI developers for safety evaluations and cybersecurity testing of the AI model. This comes as security fears mount in Washington over powerful new AI systems such as Anthropic's Mythos.

The order signals Trump is shifting his strategy on AI and taking a more active role in monitoring the technology's capabilities. Since returning to office, he has said the federal government should take a hands-off approach to the tech sector, and has tried to discourage states from adopting AI regulations that he opposes.

According to the order, U.S. agencies would get up to 30 days to test the models before they are released to organizations outside the government, according to the order. It also directs the agencies to emphasize bolstering cyber defense ⁠across government.

The president's decision to implement voluntary testing could hurt the industry's profits if it slows the rollout of new models or prompts the companies to change how they perform to address security concerns.