White House keeps its new AI pre-release rules private

The voluntary framework could give the government up to 30 days of access to the most capable models before other trusted partners see them.

The voluntary framework could give the government up to 30 days of access to advanced AI models before other trusted partners see them. The White House says the rules are finished, but has not disclosed which models qualify, which labs helped write them or when any company will use them.

ContextThe June 2 executive order calls for a classified benchmark to decide when a model has advanced enough cyber capabilities to qualify as a 'covered frontier model.' Covered developers could then give the government early access under confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk and intellectual-property safeguards. The order says this is voluntary and does not create a licensing or preclearance regime. Axios reported that discussions with companies were underway and a staff-level meeting was scheduled for Tuesday. Neither Axios nor the White House identified the participating labs, so POLI cannot say that the largest AI companies attended. The next meaningful signals are whether the administration names participants, explains how developers get a coverage decision and confirms that a lab has actually entered the process.