Trump wants AI models 90 days before they go public

AI developers could be forced to hand over their new frontier models 90 days before a public launch, according to leaked accounts of a draft executive order from US President Donald Trump.

Multiple media reports have cited sources saying that the Trump administration plans to issue an executive order as early as this week, laying out government agencies that will get advanced access to frontier models in order to scrutinise their capabilities.

Reports suggest the administration could be demanding access to new frontier models 90 days before they're made public, according to Axios, and give the Pentagon time to look over security-focused models – and secure its own systems, as well as alert other impacted organisations of potentially looming flaws. Reuters said a source suggested critical infrastructure organisations such as banks could also get access to frontier models before the general public.

Beyond the advance access, the order will ask AI developers to keep the government updated on incoming models and offer access to their infrastructure.

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According to a report from Politico, the White House began detailing the directive to AI companies on Tuesday, and it's expected to be made official as early as today. The Pentagon is expected to be given 30 days to set up its security "clearinghouse", while a group of federal agencies will have 60 days to decide what defines a model as "frontier".

A White House spokesperson told Reuters the reports were nothing but "speculation." Last year, Trump issued an executive order banning states from local regulation of AI in order to create a federal rule.

Drawn out process

The details of this latest executive order have been much debated and have changed multiple times throughout the process, with one report noting that the order could change or be further delayed if discussions with AI labs don't go as planned.

CNN noted that some of the AI companies involved in the discussion have pushed back against the 90-day access in favour of just 14 days. On the other hand, a group of Republican politicians wrote to Trump last week demanding government oversight and approval of "potentially dangerous" systems.

Key industry players, including Google and Microsoft, two weeks ago agreed to give the government early access via the Centre for AI Standards and Innovation at the Department of Commerce, but – as Reuters notes – that announcement disappeared from the department's website within days.

The long-expected executive order follows concerns raised by Anthropic's Mythos security model, as well as that company's break with the Pentagon over military uses of its AI.

AI layoffs

It also comes amid layoffs that companies have pinned on AI, including thousands impacted at Meta this week, highlighting the difficulty politicians have in walking a line showing support for AI as a technology that could one day boost the economy while causing disruption now, be it security concerns, data centre complaints or unemployment.

Asked this week what message he had for Americans concerned about AI's impact on their jobs, President Trump said: "I'll tell you, AI has been amazing because we have more jobs, more people working right now in the United States by far than we ever had before."

Earlier this year, Trump agreed a deal with Big Tech companies designed to ensure the rollout of data centres and other AI infrastructure doesn't drive up electricity prices in the US.