Scoop: Inside Trump's AI framework
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The White House is excluding open models from its framework to test advanced AI capabilities, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
Why it matters: The voluntary framework will determine how the Trump administration reviews advanced AI models before release, but the White House isn't making it public.
What's inside: The AI framework reviewed on Tuesday defines a covered frontier model as closed-source with state-of-the-art capabilities and national security risks, multiple sources briefed on meetings held at the White House said.
- There is no clear definition of what is considered state-of-the-art or a national security risk.
- Open models are excluded, and the framework explicitly says nothing in it should be interpreted as restricting open models once they've been released.
Zoom in: During the 30-day pre-release government review period, employees would be limited from accessing models.
- The models would be stored in high-security environments, and there would need to be detailed logs on who is accessing the models.
- The review process will include various administration officials rather than a single office or agency.
The big picture: The White House does not plan to publicly release the framework, Axios previously reported.
- The White House on Tuesday held staff-level meetings with industry to review the framework, and companies that weren't invited remain in the dark about its contents.
- It's also unclear which "trusted partners" will get early access to advanced models under the framework, including whether any foreign governments would qualify.
Context: The executive order explicitly says the benchmarking process to assess advanced cyber capabilities of AI models will be classified.
- There is no requirement in the order to publicly release the voluntary framework.
What's next: Companies on Tuesday were reportedly encouraged to share models with the government that are as close to public release as possible instead of early-stage ones, according to people familiar with the discussions.
- Many companies with less advanced systems appear likely to be left out of the framework, sources said.
