White House Backtracks on AI Model Pre-Review Within 24 Hours, But Expands Voluntary Assessments

According to The New York Times and Politico, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett proposed on Wednesday that the U.S. government implement FDA-style pre-release review for AI models. By Thursday, a senior official claimed Hassett’s remarks were taken out of context, stating the administration seeks a “partnership” with companies rather than “government regulation.” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles posted on X that the government will not “pick winners and losers.”

Despite the softer rhetoric, policy actions continue. The Commerce Department’s AI Standards and Innovation Center (CAISI) expanded voluntary pre-assessment agreements this week to include Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and xAI, following existing agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic. According to three sources familiar with the matter, the White House is discussing intelligence agency pre-evaluation of models before public release to ensure U.S. agencies can study and utilize new capabilities before adversaries like Russia and China.