The White House today announced that agencies are ahead of schedule on AI executive order work and hit all of their July 26 deadlines, Maria reports.

The big picture: The executive branch — not Congress — is in the driver's seat for federal AI regulation.

• If the majority of tasks in the executive order are completed before a potential Trump administration, they would have a much harder time repealing it.

Milestones hit include:

• The AI Safety Institute released for public comment guidelines for developers to help prevent dual-use foundation models from being misused to harm people.
• NIST published additional frameworks to manage generative AI risks, and submitted a report to the White House outlining tools to combat synthetic content risks.
• The Energy Department expanded testbeds for AI hardware and software, including privacy technologies.
• The Gender Policy Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a call to action to combat AI and image-based sexual abuse content, something Vice President Harris has spoken about.
• More than 80 research teams were awarded access to AI resources through the National AI Research Resource pilot.

This afternoon, Biden will receive an AI briefing from staff, including an update on the administration's work to implement the executive order, the White House said.

What we're watching: The Commerce Department has finalized and will soon release a report on the risks and benefits of open weight AI models and policy recommendations.

• The open- vs. closed-source debate is heating up, and where the government lands will have major implications for companies.

What's next: Agencies have until Oct. 29 to hit the next set of major goals, which include USAID publishing a Global AI Research Agenda and the attorney general submitting a report on the use of AI in the criminal justice system.

The White House today also announced Apple is on board with voluntary commitments to ensure AI is deployed safely, Maria reports.

Why it matters: Apple is looking to combine the iPhone with AI, which could lead to a hyper-personalized experience for millions of customers and heightened responsibility on the company to protect peoples' privacy.

• Apple joins a host of other companies — including Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft — in committing to conducting security tests before products are rolled out and sharing information with the government among others.

Our thought bubble: Voluntary commitments only go so far, and lawmakers think legislation will ultimately be needed to safely deploy AI while also not stifling innovation.